Skating on Thin Ice Fabray!
by G3n3ralRedfield
Summary: AU: Rachel Berry is a pairs figure skater without a partner and a bad reputation, Quinn Fabray is a hockey player with a worse one...can they work together and win gold?  without killing each other
1. Chapter 1

_Here we go with my new story idea, just to let ya'll know though it's going to be __**very**__, __**very **__AU lol, basically Rachel is still a diva but lonely and a bit of an outright bitch. Quinn, Santana and Karofsky (Hey, I like the guy okay, very underused and misrepresented as a character if you ask me) are siblings through fostering and this story will feature different characters from the last story, some are the same but I'm including Bieste, Will and Sue as fairly key characters this time around, but fear not our four girls will still be there! This is more of a slow burner and comes from my obsession with ice skating and hockey, my OC's in this aren't really OC's as those familiar with my cop show obsession will quickly work out lol. I hope you like and apologise if you don't because after the heaviness that was BB&S I needed more fluffy romance, let me know what you like or don't like amigo's and enjoy the ride! xxx_

'_**Skating On Thin Ice Fabray!'**_

Part One: "_A change would do you good_"

Coach Schuster watched the rapidly spinning figures in front of him with a mix of trepidation and resignation. Things had been so promising at the start of the session, Rachel had managed a whole three sentences before she'd made a bitchy comment regarding the boy's somewhat adequate lips, and to his credit her new tentative skating partner Sam Evans had taken it in his stride, merely shrugging it off and concentrating on the job he was there to do. As sad as it was that was the best response he had ever had from his temperamental protégé, _if only her attitude was as perfect as her skating!_

The synchronised scratch spin was coming to an end, or at least it should be. Rachel however was obviously testing the 'fresh meat' and instead of beginning to _decrease _speed in preparation to exit the spin she was maintaining the pace. Next to her Sam faltered as he hadn't expected the move to be extended like this, as a consequence, instead of exiting the spin smoothly he stumbled, caught his toe pick and ended up face first on the ice of the Berry's private rink. Will Schuster closed his eyes in resignation as he watched his last hope crash out of contention for the role of Rachel's skating partner.

Having made her point the petite brunette screeched to a devastatingly abrupt stop, the toe pick of her left skate digging in sharply and sending a spray of icy flakes onto Sam's face where he remained in place still panting from his mishap. Will looked wearily up as Rachel raised a dark eyebrow and pointedly placing her hands on her hips spoke in a voice colder than the rink.

"Is that _it_? I mean we're _done _yes? Because really Coach…this guy wont cut it and you are as aware of that fact as _I _am."

Turning to regard the out of breath blonde as he picked himself up from the ice she mustered a semblance of a smile and shrugged, speaking to him while managing to not actually _look _at or truly see him.

"Bye, thanks for auditioning."

Without stopping to acknowledge a reply she skated smoothly over to what she deemed her quiet corner, an area of the rink where she had a large easy chair set up with a mini fridge of refreshments and a blanket and cushions. Will sighed internally and with mounting resignation he patted Sam on the shoulder with an apologetic smile.

"Sorry Sam, but thanks for making the trip out here, and for what it's worth you _are _a talented skater. This just wasn't your day to find a perfect partner but there will be one out there, all you gotta do is get yourself out there and refine your technique."

Finding the sting of Rachel's rejection was soothed by the older man's words Sam smiled slightly and shook the coach's hand.

"Thanks Coach, it means a lot maybe I'll see you on the ice one day?"

With a last flash of that grin the kid turned and skated off to get his gear together, Will watched him change into his sneakers and grab his kit bag up before heading outside to no doubt pack what few belongings he had unpacked in his guest chalet and head back home to Oregon. Rachel, in direct contrast, didn't look up even _once _and in fact sighed in irritation as the boy closed the door behind him. Will flexed his jaw and running his hands through his hair couldn't _quite _quell the irritation in his voice as he walked across the ice with the ease of a lifetime coach.

"Rachel, you _do _realise he was your last chance don't you! There's no one else left even _willing _to try out to be your damn partner, no matter how much money of your fathers I offer to throw at them!"

Slamming her copy of Hound of the Baskervilles closed with a scowl the brunette skater looked up.

"That is _hardly _my problem, it's yours! My fathers pay you a lot of money to do what you do and right now they are paying you to get me trained up to Olympic standard and more importantly to find me a partner who's _willing _to keep up with me."

Throwing his hands up in exasperation Will resisted the urge to shake the girl, instead he took a deep breath and tried (albeit without much hope) to reason with her.

"Rachel…_no one _is arguing with your talent or your drive and determination to succeed, but you aren't a _singles _skater! You're a _pairs _skater and right now you don't have a partner and you have found fault with every single guy I've brought here in the past three months!"

Brown eyes rolled in irritation that equalled the coaches as Rachel reorganised the blankets around her with an impatient huff.

"Coach Schuster it would help if any _one _of those supposed '_perfect' _partners you had brought me had an ounce of talent!"

Getting riled up even more as the seconds ticked by Will paced in front of his talented but particular student and tried to get her to see the _impossibility _of the situation she was putting him, and indeed herself, in.

"Every one of those boys were award winning skaters, and _all _of them were talented and willing to work the long hours _you _stipulated!"

Throwing her blanket aside Rachel stood up, secretly glad that she left her skates on as it brought her eye to eye with the older man.

"Oh _really_? Puckerman?"

Sighing audibly the coach ran both hands down his face and closed his eyes for a moment before grudgingly admitting to his one honest mistake.

"Puckerman _was _an award winner yes, admittedly his…_sleazy _attitude wasn't what I anticipated but you _didn't _have to kick him in the balls."

Sniffing haughtily Rachel flipped her perfect dark locks over her shoulder and cocking her hip placed one hand on the raised one and began to count off her coach's many '_mistakes' _at least as _she _saw them.

"_Cabot_, by no stretch of the imagination strong enough!, _Benson_, no drive!, _Novak_, about as much speed over the ice as my Grandmother!…do I really need to go on?"

Will looked at Rachel's flashing eyes and allowing some of his frustration with the girl to finally leak into his voice he snapped.

"There _is _no one else now! Not one _single _skater, not even in the minor competitions is willing to skate with you, you have a reputation as a diva and a bitch Rachel Berry, so unless you have any more bright ideas on how to find yourself a partner you're looking at a _very _premature end to your dreams!"

For a moment there was a flash of emotion in the petite girls eyes, something akin to shame, _maybe _panic, it was too brief however for him to properly identify and it was the cool calm and implacable Rachel Berry that replied.

"That's _your _job, not mine…so I suggest you start thinking of how to overcome this obstacle before I'm not the _only _one whose career comes to an abrupt end!"

As threats go it was about as subtle as a sledgehammer and Will watched in stunned silence as the girl picked up her book and headed for the exit into the house. Once there she paused and swivelled on her toe pick to add a parting shot.

"And for your _information _William, when I'm standing on that podium with a gold medal round my neck it wont matter to me _how _many people think I'm a bitch!"

With that she left the rink and Will found himself alone, letting out a frustrated growl he thanked God that he had dinner with his fellow coach and good friend Shannon that night. He had a feeling he would need a few good beer's in him before he faced Rachel's fathers with the news that their daughter had blown her last chance, _especially _as he knew they wouldn't accept his explanation any more than Rachel had.

As the door closed behind her Rachel felt the tears gather behind her eyelids and taking a deep breath she clenched her jaw hard and forced them back down, _refusing _to cry, _refusing _to admit there was anything wrong. It wasn't her fault if her stupid coach kept picking loser's she almost felt like ringing her fathers to tell them to cancel the man's weekend off. After all why should _he _have time off when he was obviously trying to sabotage her career and keep her from the greatness she was destined for. Pushing herself forcefully away from the door she unlaced her skates carefully and changed into a pair of sweats and running shoes. Whenever she felt things getting too heavy for her to deal with, she would run, it wasn't as freeing as skating but there was something about the pounding of her feet on the hard packed earth of the forest that surrounded her family home that just cleared the cobwebs and helped calm the unrest in her soul. As usual her thoughts tumbled through her mind as she ran, this time they were mostly focused on her fathers and Finn.

Her fathers were both loving men but they were _ludicrously _busy. They had met at Hudson University where they were both studying business and had soon realised they shared a passion for home grown and organic food, Hiram, her dad, was a vegan as was Rachel herself, and Leroy her daddy was a meat eater, between them they covered all areas of organic food and had started up a small business selling free range and organic produce. As the trend to eat healthier turned into a popular lifestyle touted by several celebrities the business grew and grew until it finally went global, they had three U.S based offices and now they had three in Europe as well and were looking to break into the far east next. They had _always _wanted a child and with the help of a surrogate Rachel was born, this happened a year before the business had literally exploded and so as beloved and wanted as she was she had found herself growing up more under the care of a nanny and skating coach than a family.

Not that she felt herself to have been unduly handicapped by this, she just couldn't help but miss the warm family atmosphere that she saw her few friends had. So she ended up withdrawing and spending more time on her own, she agreed to be home schooled so she could concentrate on her skating career and so she would _always _be around when her fathers could find the time to take a break from work. She had met Finn at one of her fathers business oriented new years parties and his shy goofy attitude had drawn her towards him as he was the only one there who _looked _as out of place as she _felt_. It took another year or so and then he proposed to her, she was delighted to accept and Hiram and Leroy arranged for him to be at the head of the team that opened up the London branch of 'Berry Organic' it was all very…organised. Pushing her maudlin thoughts to the back of her mind Rachel noticed she'd completed her usual circuit and saw the walls of the steam room in sight, a good steam would loosen her up nicely.

Then she could sit back, settling into the hot tub with a decent glass of cabernet and crack open the new biography of Dickens she had received that morning, she would wait up until midnight and then give her nightly call to Finn to see how he was doing in London, after that she would settle down in bed with her book and close out the world until the next morning. _Hopefully _by that time Schuster would have actually earned his not insubstantial wage and found her a _competent _partner. She _wanted _to skate, she was good at it she knew she was! but ever since she crashed spectacularly out of the last international competition when that douche bag St James dropped her, she had been questioning her motives as to _why _she carried on, especially when she hadn't even been enjoying it recently.

Pausing to swallow the familiar lump of pain in her throat Rachel toyed with the idea of cooking but as much as she _used _to enjoy it, cooking when she was alone was far from a joy and just reminded her how solitary her life had become these past few years. She had a loving family, that was without argument, loving yes but also very absent. The same went for Finn, he was a great guy and an attentive boyfriend…well okay maybe _not _attentive, but he tried and she was fairly certain he genuinely loved her which was the most important thing. Sadly as he decided to follow her fathers advice and go into the field of business he wasn't here anymore either.

So tonight it was her and her friend Mr Dickens, but that was fine, she could live with that and if it left a hole in her somewhere that nothing seemed to quite seal over she would just pretend. Eventually everything _would _be enough, her fathers _would _retire, she _would _win her gold medal, Finn _would _marry her and take a job closer to home and things would finally be the way they were meant to be…eventually…

Several hours later Will was substantially more relaxed as he sat in an alcove of the spit and sawdust style bar/restaurant that he usually met Shannon in. He was working on his second beer and with Garth on the Jukebox and the smell of grilled steaks wafting around him he _finally _felt some of the tension easing away. It would be easier if he could hate Rachel, because then he could walk away from her and her fathers and take a job elsewhere, somewhere that might give him less heartburn and headaches. But he didn't hate her, he loved her like the daughter he had never had, and when she let her guard down he saw how truly alone the girl felt…which is why he _knew _he would never leave voluntarily, his emotional ties and the fact that if he ever did find her a skating partner she could work with then the two of them would potentially be legendary.

He was approaching the bottom of his second bottle of beer when he felt the hearty slap on his back and looked up into the grinning face of his best friend Shannon Bieste, he never called her that though, she may have been built along sturdy rather than feminine lines but to him she was always Shannon the Cannon, the girl he grew up with and the one who brought him his first pair of skates aged six. Grinning he stood up and wrapped his arms round her in a hug before the two of them sat down.

"Jesus Will, you look like crap! All that high living finally getting to you?"

Groaning dramatically the coach let his head hit the table lightly once before he drained the last of his beer and sighed.

"Far from it…partner number 38 just bit the dust and I'm _out _of ideas."

Wincing in sympathy Shannon motioned to the bartender and raised two fingers for two more beers.

"I never understand why you chose figure skating over ice hockey Billy, I mean let's face it, at _least _with ice hockey you only ever have to worry about getting through a game without a fight breaking out, plus there's _always _people willing to play."

Grunting in agreement he smiled his thanks to the bartender as the full bottles were placed on the table, pausing to blow out a long breath he sat back in his seat and shrugged.

"She's a good kid just…_hard _to get to know, and _damn _is she talented. The problem is I'm going to have to start getting creative about where to look for partners now…not to mention it's going to take one stubborn and fiery son of a bitch to get them to stick it out with Rachel _long _enough to put a routine together."

Shannon took a long pull of her beer and smiled faintly at the description as an image immediately came to mind of her sometimes co coach, now _that _was someone who met the criteria of stubborn and fiery as well as upping it with a heavy dose of attitude and confidence. Just a shame two women couldn't skate together, or at least she was _fairly _certain they couldn't.

"Cant help you with that one Will, none of my guys have even the barest hint of grace, let alone _style _or I'd let you take your pick."

Shaking his head slightly Will just shrugged.

"I guess I'll have to try looking overseas but that causes issues with skating for the states, but we do however have nearly two years so it's _possible _we could get someone over here and repatriate them…the annoying thing is I _know _the right partner is out there somewhere Shannon, I can just feel it!"

They paused their conversation for a while as the waiter came to take their order, not that he needed to bother as they had the same thing every time but it was procedure after all, it was as he was walking away that Shannon spoke up with what at first appeared to be a throwaway comment…but would end up being a lifeline to both Will Schuster _and _Rachel Berry.

"Shame Berry cant skate with another woman, because Fabray is pretty much the personification of greased lightning on the ice, _Hell _of an attitude but essentially a good kid…well I say _kid _cos she's younger than me, but you know what I mean."

She looked away from the ball game on the set above the bar and back to Will to find him staring back at her with a thoughtful look on his face.

"Tell me more about her, I mean if she's that good wouldn't she have been picked already, as a _hockey _player I mean?"

Sighing sadly, Shannon nodded and toyed with the beer bottle in her hands as she thought about the angry young teen who'd first joined her hockey team nearly ten years ago.

"Foster kid, don't know her full back story so much as she rarely says anything about it but I knew from the first moment she hit the ice she had the makings of a pro, both myself and her foster parents, one who's a cop, the other a fire officer I think, tried to keep her on a short leash but she has a temper. A _bad _temper and when she and her sister, again fostered rather than by birth, well, when they _lose _it they get into trouble, long story short she has a criminal record and two short jail terms behind her."

She paused to take a swallow of beer but carried on when she saw Will's interested look.

"You know what the rules and regs are like around organised sport these days, _especially _team sports and with her temper and attitude no team will sign her. But _damn _can she skate, on ice and tear up the asphalt on rollerblades. She sometimes helps me coach the ice hockey team and has her own street hockey league…in fact, they're playing tonight so if you'd like we could always go check them out after we eat?"

Will grinned and clinked his bottle with his old friends.

"Right now Shannon I'm looking for a miracle and they always _say _you find them in the most unlikely places right?"

Laughing she swirled the last mouthful round in the bottom of the bottle and clinked it to Will's in a toast before downing it.

"Here's to unlikely miracles Schuster!"

"Get your damn _ass _in gear Fabray, some of us have work to get to!"

Santanna Lopez scowled as she checked her watch for what felt like the thirtieth time in the last hour, she loved her foster sister, she really did, but right now she could cheerfully strangle the blonde. To her left their brother Dave Karofsky (again fostered) just shook his head with a fond smile as he continued to work on smoothing the wood of the doorframe on the latest extension he was adding to their modest bungalow.

"Watch the language San, you know mom hates it when you swear."

His low gentle voice had the same soothing effect on her it always had and she rolled her eyes.

"Well if you could hurry up with that extension then we would have more than _one _bathroom, shouldn't you be going to pick mom up from the Physiotherapist anyway?"

It was the tall boys turn to check his watch again and he shook his head slightly before going back to evening out the wood carefully.

"No, I think ma is picking her up…they're having a dinner to '_talk things over_'. I hope they work it out, this house isn't the same without both of them arguing over the TV remote and yelling at Quinn for leaving her laundry _all _over the house."

Smiling in silent agreement the Latina reached up and patted his shoulder gently.

"I know bro, I know…they still _love _each other so that's something, they just have to figure out how to work through Mom's shooting."

At his words they both found themselves remembering the day a little over a year ago that they got the phone call about the incident. Their mom, the woman who had fostered them all and nurtured them was a Detective with the Philadelphia Homicide department, though after a chance encounter with a witness she had become an expert on the divisions many cold cases and her clearance rate on cold jobs had made the department a minor celebrity within the law enforcement world. Unfortunately people who believed they had gotten away with murder felt no inclination to step away from their comfortable lives and as a result were often _more _calculating and violent than the perpetrators of recent crimes. As a result Detective Lily Rush had found herself at the wrong end of a gunshot, luckily it hadn't killed her, or at least it hadn't killed her _yet_.

The bullet was lodged _dangerously _close to her spine and the surgeons refused to operate without the patients consent (Which was vehemently _not _given) as there was a good sixty percent risk of paralysis in the extraction process. As things stood she would eventually be paralysed anyway as the bullet was moving slowly but inexorably closer to the spinal cord. It may take years but eventually it _would _work it's way in and that would be the end of that. She had to have a chair to get around as it was, regular physiotherapy to keep her in shape and regular checkups as well as daily tests and charts to track the progress of the bullet or thinking in more negative terms, any loss of feelings or reaction times.

The emotional fallout however had been _far _more destructive, Quinn, who was the youngest of the three siblings had regressed into her annoying eighteen year old self in the vain and ridiculous hope that it would bring their foster parents closer together to try and handle her. Their ma, a fire officer named Sofia Curtis had been the one to bear the brunt of it all as Lily slowly but gradually pushed her wife away, it was all out of some lame notion that she didn't want to have to be dependant on anyone, least of all someone who was as dedicated and active as she was before the shooting. She _thought _she was doing the right thing, Sofia _very _vocally told her otherwise. On top it if they argued about whether or not Lily should risk having the operation done to remove it before it moved too far in towards the spinal cord. It got more and more emotional with yelling, tears and even thrown crockery, but eventually Sofia had agreed to move out and give Lily some space while they worked through things, so far it hadn't gone well.

Dave had turned his attentions to remodelling the house to accommodate a wheelchair in every room so that their mom wouldn't feel as though she was a burden to any of them, in that way he had been lucky because he could funnel _all _his frustration and anxiety into the work. Santana as the oldest by three months did her best to keep the family together and more importantly to keep Quinn in line. The three kids had shelved their own plans without another word and set about helping to adapt the whole house, Dave was an experienced and excellent handyman who had turned his skills to a wide range of areas, including electronics, plumbing, decorating, masonry…whatever they needed _he _would learn.

Santana had _always _been an excellent cook, she had gained an apprenticeship to one of the more prestigious restaurants in the city but had passed it up after the accident and chose to tell her mom _and _her ma that she didn't get it. Instead she took over the cooking for the household making sure that every meal was specifically designed to meet all of their mom's needs. On top of that she held down a job at the local bar, both serving behind the bar and cooking up the best chicken wings in fifty states (or so the bar's owner claimed, all San knew was that it kept the bar full and the tips jar overflowing). Quinn, for her part, worked every shift she could at the Video Game store her best friend owned as well as making a little extra money betting on her hockey games, illegally of course but it's not like she _kept _the money…speaking of which…

"How much money have we got in the kitty now anyways? I added my tip money last night and I know Q had a few hundred after her last game."

Dave nodded and smiled slightly as he pulled his phone out and going into the notes section checked the latest total.

"We're up to nineteen thousand and three hundred and twenty six bucks. So…we're like a twentieth of the way there, at least?"

San forced a smile and nodded back as she gave the hopeful look that Dave was looking for, when he looked over to his work again however it dropped. Yes they _had _saved a lot but they only had a few more months before their window of opportunity was closed. After the shooting they had done some research (and after a midnight raid on the hospital where they photocopied their mom's medical records and sent them off) they discovered there was an operation available by a very highly specialised clinic that said they _could _remove the bullet without risk of paralysis.

However the cost of the operation was just under a quarter of a million dollars, the three siblings had made a pact to do whatever they could to save up and get the operation done, whether their mom wanted it or _not_. So as much as they loved her and their ma they had lied to both of them and arranged their lives to stay where they were and pay for the operation no matter how long it took. Santana and Quinn had briefly considered stealing it, they had even gone so far as to plan a robbery before they realised it would go against everything that Lily and Sofia had taught them. And so saving and working honestly they were doing their best but it was slow going, especially as they only had a certain window of time in which to _have _the operation done before the bullet moved too far for even the expert to attempt the removal.

Santana's gaze snapped to the right as she heard the door to the bathroom open finally and she rolled her eyes as Quinn eventually emerged from the steam filled room, the blonde girl was running a towel through her short cropped hair and smirked at Santana as she raised her eyebrow.

"Keep your goddamn pants on Satan, I gotta make sure I'm looking good for the match never know when that sugar momma is gonna come along for me to live off of."

She winked and then abruptly winced as Santana grabbed her arm and pulling her back towards her touched a finger to the bruise still developing on the shorter girls right cheek.

"Christ Q what'd you do _this _time! Can you not go one day without getting in some trouble or other?"

Sighing Quinn gently took Santana's hand and removed it from her face.

"It's not how it looks okay? Well…okay _maybe _it is but this time I swear it wasn't my fault San! "

Making a sound of disgust the Latina dropped her hand and wondered yet again why her blonde counterpart couldn't at _least _keep it in her pants while they worked towards their mom's operation.

"Jesus Christ Fabray, we are _never _gonna save enough cash to get the operation done if you end up getting your ass thrown in jail again for fighting or worse! I mean who the hell do you think the police will believe if one of your so called conquests turns on you when you get caught hmm? Do you think for one moment that a wife or fiancé caught with _your _hand in _their _pants is going to agree when you say it's consensual, of course they're fucking not…who was it this time?"

Reaching up to rub the back of her neck with a certain degree of shame Quinn sighed and glanced to Dave, their brother was a gentle giant really and as he gave her a half smile she found herself smiling back, whereas Santana lectured _he _only had to give her his disappointed look and she would fold like a cheap card table.

"I…was finishing up a shift at the store and Mike had to leave early so I was closing for him. He usually gives Siobhan a ride home but as _he _couldn't I said _I _would, she invited me in for a drink and…one thing led to another, would probably have led to yet another as well if her boyfriend hadn't come home."

Santana in an effort to ignore her sisters cocky smirk, took a calming breath and closed her eyes for a long moment before speaking in even tones.

"_Siobhan _as in the eighteen year old _high school student_! Who is living with that lunk head mechanic? The _same _lunk head mechanic _you _drink with every weekend? And what part of that situation did you think would end well!"

Running her hands down her face Quinn shrugged one shoulder and wondered not for the first time why she had such bad impulse control, then again in _her _defence Siobhan was like _really _hot, on a supermodel scale. Knowing however that Santana would give her a matching bruise if she didn't at least _act _contrite she met her sisters eyes.

"I'm _sorry _okay! It's not like I'm gonna do it again…besides she does this _one _thing with…"

Clapping her hands over her ears the Latina headed into the bathroom angrily slamming the door behind her. Grinning in triumph Quinn headed for her bedroom door to run some gel through her hair and make sure her kit bag was ready, she looked up and jumped slightly at the concerned look on her brothers face as he leant on her doorframe.

"Q…I wish you wouldn't do stuff like that you know, it's not really you and I don't know why you gotta _pretend _it is."

His words were quiet as usual and carried with them a weight that made Quinn's knees feel weak, he rarely offered lectures to either of his siblings preferring to reserve his judgement, so when he _did _speak it tended to make more of an impact. The blonde threw her roller blades into the bag and collected her sticks up as she spoke.

"Dave…I just need ways to blow off steam, and as we're trying not to do anything illegal this is the safest way to do that. We _need _to get mom that operation so she and ma will stop arguing constantly…you remember how it used to be, we were like a slightly dysfunctional Walton's but it was nice. If we can fix things then _you _can set up your business, _San _can go on to culinary greatness and…I…can feel free to screw up without letting you down, it's win, win all round."

She could feel his eyes on her as she laced her basketball boots and as she grabbed her kit bag up she decided that waiting outside was the best idea, she didn't want to be forced to look at her life the way her siblings did. She just wanted to _live _it, but Dave wouldn't budge from the doorway so she sighed dropped her bag and looked up at him in exasperation.

"I messed up okay, and I don't mean to sound so blasé because I'm _not, _but unlike you two my only skill is sports and I cant go pro with them through my own faults…maybe I act out more than I should."

She trailed off not quite sure or ready to admit _why _she was regressing nearly a decade, at the age of twenty five the rebellious phase should _really _have worn itself out. Dave just smiled sadly and pulled her into a hug as he murmured.

"Ma isn't going to come back just to yell at you, you know that right? Her and mom have to work this thing out on their own and _you _having an early mid life crisis isn't going to push them to doing it any sooner."

Chuckling into her brothers brawny shoulder Quinn let herself enjoy the hug for just a moment more before she pulled away, it turned out to be perfect timing as Santana emerged from the bathroom in her uniform.

"Come on, let's make a move Q, you got any money running on this game by the way?"

Pausing to hug Dave briefly Santana led the way out of the bungalow towards her battered Honda Civic, she walked down the ramp carefully having caught her heel's more than once in the grating, Quinn, as usual, decided to forego the stairs and slid down the handrail instead, grinning as she landed neatly.

"_Always_, should be worth a couple hundred if we win."

The Latina nodded and they sat in silence for a while as they pulled out of the drive and headed into town. Quinn could only take the frosty silence for so long and eventually sighed before turning to face her pissed off sister.

"I'm sorry okay, you're right. I want to help mom of _course _I do, I just shouldn't drink I guess."

After a moment Santana relaxed and even offered a slight smile.

"I love you Q, but sometimes…just sometimes I could cheerfully throw you under a bus! On the plus side we _have _almost reached the twenty thousand mark, and we still have another five months before the bullet's moved past the point of treatment."

Quinn frowned, they only had twenty thousand? It had taken them nearly _three months _just to scrape together that much. Maybe,…_maybe _she could float her other idea now, Santana might be more receptive to it now.

"S…I was thinking, I mean, the money I'm betting is pretty _low _scale stuff but if I see fast Eddie about a loan and use it to buy in on one of his card games…"

She got no further as the Latina's head snapped in her direction with a cold glare.

"_No_, just _no_, not a fucking _chance _Quinn! You want to not only accept a loan from that shark but you then want to walk into one of his fucking underground poker games and proceed to _fleece _him? You do that and we'd find you in a goddamn alley somewhere wearing a Chelsea smile!"

Swallowing slightly at the sheer anger and disbelief in her sisters voice Quinn held up both hands in a stop gesture and blew out a breath.

"Okay, okay I _get it_, you aren't on board for that, though why I don't know, it isn't like _he _doesn't fleece people on a regular basis, besides you _know _I would win."

Santana sighed wearily and took one hand off the steering wheel to rub her temples.

"Yes, you would win but that's because of your freakish mathematical brain that enables you to count cards, and is _also _the reason you ended up in jail for eighteen months! I'm sure that mom would rather you _don't _end up going _back _to jail."

Rolling her eyes Quinn scowled and put her feet on the dashboard.

"Fine then smart ass you want to work out how we're going to make enough in the time we got left by purely legal means because miracles don't just fucking _turn up _on your doorstep Santana, and we don't have a lot of time."

Scowling back at her sister with just as much if not _more _attitude the Latina screeched the car to a halt in front of the bar.

"I'm sure I don't know _Quinton_, but I'm not going to risk bringing more pain on our heads because I feel I have something to prove!"

Two doors slammed equally hard as the girls got out of the car, so much so the poor little Civic shook from the impact and grabbing her kitbag from the boot Quinn started walking backwards as she let her departing shot fly free.

"_Don't _fucking call me that you _know _I hate it! But you know what Santana the day a miraculous solution to this just turns up out of nowhere? I will change my name _legally _to Quinton, until then knock it the _fuck _off!"

Santana smirked at her sisters retreating back before calling out.

"Don't think I wont hold you to that…_Quinton_!"

A raised finger was the silent but eloquent reply to that.

Warm from the booze and with stomach's full from the half a cow they had eaten for their dinner, Shannon led Will down to what appeared to be an urban basketball court, not that basketball was the sport that was being played there _that _night. Under both of the basketball posts portable hockey goals had been set up, and the asphalt was currently a flurry of activity as two teams in loose uniforms (loose as in one team had red tops on, anything from a vest to a sweater, and the other team wore black) battled it out. The baseball that was acting as their puck was being batted rapidly from player to player, the two coaches leant on the chest high wall that bordered the court and Shannon smiled as she nudged Will and motioned to a slim figure moving like lightening around the others.

"Check out number thirteen, tell me what you think."

Raising his eyebrow curiously Will nodded and crossed his arms on top of the wall resting his chin on them and tried to keep track of the action. It was hard and it was only because he had spent years watching Shannon at games that he was _able _to. Number thirteen was indeed a revelation, the rest were pure balls out hockey players there was no arguing that, but thirteen was all that _and _something more. As she weaved in and out of the other players, her checking of them was so smooth it was like she wasn't even moving. Tackling was done with such ease that her targets didn't seem to even notice they had lost the ball.

At one point there were three opposing players coming up on her and smashing the ball cleanly through the legs of the opponent on her right she performed what looked like a combination of a pirouette and an axle as she weaved neatly past him and easily caught up with the ball to slam it accurately into the lower left corner of the goal. The rest of the game played swiftly with the result almost a foregone conclusion from the beginning, thirteen's team literally decimated the competition with more than half the goals coming from the girl herself.

They stayed long enough to watch the team celebrate by hauling thirteen above their heads and then walked back towards the bus stop so they could head to Shannon's. Will was deep in thought, same sex partnerships weren't exactly a _new _thing and they had certainly been done before, _not _in mainstream skating however! The rules didn't specify that pairs had to be one male and one female, and that skater definitely had the moves, and from what he'd seen she also had _more _than the necessary amount of upper body strength. Oddly he wasn't bothered in the slightest with going to battle with the authorities over a same sex couple skating, he didn't even think that Rachel's fathers would object if they knew it was their darlings best chance of winning a gold medal…Rachel herself however was a _whole _other ballgame, no pun intended.

Frowning as he cycled ideas over and over in his mind he didn't even realise that they had made their way back to Shannon's flat until he heard her close the door and blinked with a small smile.

"Sorry, guess I sort of spaced out a little there, don't take it personally."

Laughing she put the kettle on and ruffled his hair affectionately.

"It's fine I've known you far too long now to take offence at your odd behaviour Schuster, besides which I gotta admit I'm intrigued to learn what _exactly _you're thinking."

He grinned back and pulled the mugs for the coffee out of the cupboard above the kettle as he spoke excitedly.

"I admit I have something brewing but I have questions first. The main one being, this skater, would she be the sort to be open to an offer of figure skating? I mean it's far removed from what she does now…but I think, no, I _know _she could do it."

Frowning as she thought carefully, Shannon passed the sugar and cream to Will and rubbed her jaw.

"Well she works a lot of hours at her job, and it isn't exactly a secret that she takes on cash in hand jobs…legal this time don't worry she hasn't done anything illegal in quite a while now. Apparently they're saving for something, her and her siblings I mean, so if you offer her enough money then I think that _yeah_, she would."

He nodded and stirred cream into his drink until it was a light tan colour then turned back to his old friend.

"Secondly, would she be able to keep someone as powerful and…colourful as Rachel Berry from driving _her _away?"

Shannon gave an inelegant snort as she tried not to inhale her coffee down the wrong tube, putting the cup down to wipe her mouth she finally gave a coffee free chuckle.

"Hell yeah, and then some! Quinn Fabray _never _loses an argument, she sometimes draws even with her sister but _never _loses and I doubt she would let some spoilt little rich kid ruin that record."

Will grinned and sipped his drink then setting the mug to one side nodded slightly.

"I need to talk to Rachel and her dad's but…I think she may be the answer to the headache that _is _Rachel Berry!"

His friend picked up her mug again and after waiting for Will to do the same they clinked mugs and she drained hers.

"Well I'm going to leave you to it Billy, right now _I _need my bed, spare room is set up as usual, just crash when you're ready and I'll see you in the morning."

Clapping him on the back she stumbled up to bed and he finished his drink before checking his watch, eleven wasn't too late he knew after all that Rachel herself was always awake until gone midnight. _Not _because she was a wild party girl but because she was a bookworm and her family had a massive library. Pulling out his cell phone he hit the number for the house line and waited, it only rang twice before Rachel's casual voice answered and he winced at the tone. Not so much because she was trying to project an air of not caring who was ringing her, more that before she could quite mask it he had heard the flash of hope that it was her fathers, or that useless lump of a fiancée Hudson. None of whom paid her anywhere near the amount of attention that they should.

"_Hello _Berry residence?"

Clearing his throat Will tried to ignore the pang of pain at having to shatter her hopes with his next words.

"Rachel it's Will, sorry to disturb you at home but I had some news that you might want to hear is all…I think I might have found you a new skating partner but there are a couple of _issues _I need to go through with you first."

There was a silence followed by an impatient huff from the other end of the phone and Will held his breath waiting for an explosion of some description. Unbeknownst to him Rachel had been thinking a lot about what he had said and she knew that in her attempt to reach perfection she _may _just have ruined her chance at gold…but if he had found a solution…

"Coach Schuster…are the issues surmountable?"

"I think so yes, I mean I _know _so, it's more an issue of…"

He was interrupted by the next question.

"Well does this mystery man have the _correct _amount of stamina, can he support me, keep up with me across the ice, I don't need anymore men that have to work twice as hard just to stay alongside me."

Frustrated Will ran his free hand through his now thoroughly messed up hair and rolled his eyes as he tried to get his protégée to understand.

"_Yes _Rachel, they have the speed, the strength and _more _than enough of the needed attitude, it's more of a case of aesthetics."

He could hear the impatient tut on the other end of the phone line and opened his mouth to point out exactly what the major flaw in the plan would be but the brunette's next words made him narrow his eyes in irritation.

"_You're _the coach so if you think it's the right decision to make then make it, I don't get paid to do _your _job for you Schuster! My fathers trust you to find me an award winning partner and so do I, if you feel the need to always ask me before you invite someone to try out then maybe we're paying you too much!"

In the back of his mind he knew she was snapping at him because she was disappointed it had been him on the phone, he _knew _it was her way of coping with being lonely but he was also reaching the end of his tether when it came to her and so he narrowed his eyes further.

"_Fine. _I'll invite them to skate with you in a try out, but bear in mind that if _this _one doesn't work out we're going to be on _very _thin ice indeed."

She grunted a goodbye and hung up angrily, Will rubbed his temples and then with a sigh grinned in satisfaction, let's hope this _Quinn Fabray_ can deal with an entitled and spoilt brat!

The next morning the Rush household was in a haze of peace for once, Quinn was still unconscious in her pit, Santana had finished breakfast and gone grocery shopping with Dave. So when the cheerful knocking started up on the door there was only Lily there to wonder idly who it was. A part of her hoped it was someone from the precinct here to consult with her on a case, she had refused to be invalided out of the force and had herself moved to desk duty, given her special circumstances her Lieutenant had arranged for her to work from home. Wheeling with an ease she half resented to the door she smiled fondly at the especially lowered locks and handle Dave had fitted for her.

However when the door swung open to reveal a rather ordinary looking guy who smiled at her as though not quite sure he was in the right place she frowned back and one hand dropped to her side where her service pistol was tucked into the wheelchairs pocket. Being shot had made her just a _tad _wary to say the least, certainly in situations where she had no idea who she was dealing with. He _looked _harmless enough, although the amount of product in his hair looked as though it could rival Quinn's, he cleared his throat and offered a hand tentatively.

"Hi um, I hope I have the right address, I'm a friend of Coach Bieste and I was hoping to have a word with Quinn?"

Lily heaved a sigh and shook his hand with a certain impending sense of doom, every time a stranger showed up and asked for Quinn it _always _seemed to mean trouble. She loved the girl as though she had given birth to her herself, as she did all her kids, but sometimes she despaired of her, she just couldn't seem to help herself from getting into trouble. Gesturing for him to enter she led the way to the living room and indicated he should sit, after a long moment she leaned back in her chair and half smiled.

"What happened _this _time, did she sleep with your wife, girlfriend, daughter?"

Will's jaw dropped open for a moment before he could formulate a reply, coughing he shifted awkwardly and let out a weak laugh before shaking his head.

"Ah no, nothing like that at all I promise…um _why, _does this happen a lot?"

Wondering how much she should say to someone she had only just met, Lily merely crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow waiting for him to offer something before she said anything else.

"Right, sorry…um my name is Will Schuster and I'm a coach, um not the type she's used to but I actually have a job offer for her."

Lily looked at him carefully, he had the rough hands of a jock that was for sure, his muscles were well developed and he certainly had the gait and the stance of one as well…but she also knew how the NHL viewed anyone with a record and she knew that any coach worth their salt would know Quinn did indeed _have _a record. That thought always brought on a pang of guilt as she had tried her hardest but been unable to _entirely _tame the blondes taste for a little too much excitement.

"I believe you're a coach but if you _are _I don't believe why you're here, no Hockey team wants to take on someone with Quinn's reputation and that is a sad fact that has so far led to her receiving _no _invitations to try out so why should I believe you are genuine?"

Will ran a hand through his hair and smiled slightly, this lady was certainly a cop, that was obvious, and a very protective mother as well by the sound of it. He sat back and rested his hands on his knees.

"Well…that's because I'm not _from _a hockey team, the job I have to offer Quinn is a little _different _to what she's used to as I mentioned earlier, but if she were to accept it then she would find it just as rewarding as a career with an NHL team."

"Okay Mr Schuster…pitch _me _your offer and I'll decide whether it's worth trying to raise the kraken."

He frowned for a moment then realised that she must be referring to Quinn who in turn he realised was responsible for the loud snoring reverberating down the hallway. Nodding he had no compunction at all in talking to the blondes foster mother about his offer.

"Have you ever heard of Rachel Berry?"

Lily frowned for a moment then nodded as she recalled Sofia making her sit down to watch the ice skating, Quinn bitching in the corner as she waited for the ice hockey to start, despite the fact she had her own TV, she said the one in the living room had better sound. Rachel Berry had been one of the skaters, a talented and driven young woman who'd looked to be on the way to gold before a slip up had sent her down to the ice in a catastrophic fall.

"Yeah, I know who she is, although she hasn't been around for a while now. Before you ask it isn't me whose the fan but my…my wife."

She paused and cleared her throat, idly adjusting the Philadelphia PD T shirt she had on as she took a moment to compose herself before motioning for him to continue.

"Right, well, um anyway no she hasn't been about because she needs a new partner and so far not _one _person has proven to be resilient enough to work with her. As a consequence of that I have _literally _blown through all the male partners she could possibly work with…and so I'm looking at other options."

He finished and watched carefully as in the space of two seconds the mild confusion on the detectives face turned to surprise and then amusement at the idea of Quinn as a figure skater, not that she didn't believe her capable of it, more because she knew it was the sort of thing the brash blonde would _never _think to do. And the reaction alone made it worth waking her! Lily smirked and shook her head slightly however before she moved.

"So the rumours of Miss Berry being difficult to deal with are true then hmm?"

Will hesitated, his loyalty to the little diva warring with the compulsion to be nothing but honest with the woman in front of him especially as she was a detective. Eventually he gave a wry grin before ducking his head in a half nod.

"Sadly detective _yes_…they are true, hence the difficulty in finding a partner whose willing to work with someone so…exacting. I watched Quinn play her street hockey game last night and she is _incredibly _talented, fast, agile, everything a figure skater needs! and more importantly, according to Shannon she has more than enough attitude of her own to work with Rachel."

Grinning fondly Lily nodded her head.

"She does at that, okay you wait here I'll go put the coffee on and then wake her, _believe me _without the caffeine in her system she will be useless to talk to at this time of day on her day off."

She wheeled away abruptly and left Will to glance around the room in curiosity, it was a large well appointed room which was fastidiously clean and well maintained, the leather sofa's were well worn but cared for and scattered with soft cushions the same grey as the carpet with an odd deep red one to match the blinds. There were family photos on every wall and a cabinet dedicated to trophies for hockey, track, football, basketball, baseball and shooting competitions. He smiled slightly and knew that no matter what Quinn Fabray's criminal record was for, she most _definitely _came from a caring and warm home. Despite the almost clinical cleanliness of the place there were so many photos and nik nak's that it was far from sterile looking.

Ten minutes later he had a coffee in hand and waited for the emergence of his next big hope.

Quinn however was doing her very best to ignore the pounding on her bedroom door and with a heavy groan shoved her head under the pillows and tried to block out the sound, it was her _day off _for crying out loud, and last night had been one _wild _ass party where she drank way too much beer and ate several kebabs from a dodgy road side stand, so after several hours wrapped around the toilet bowl she had finally managed to fall asleep and had been planning to stay that way for as much of the day as she could get away with…which it turns out wasn't very much.

She dimly saw a flash of light as someone came into her room and opened the blinds, despite the moan of complaint mixed with indignation she felt the quilt stripped from her and then the pillow, shortly after she blinked and saw the half exasperated, half fond look of her foster mother.

"Quinn get your ass outta bed, there's someone here with a job offer for you and…Holy crap Quinn _what _did you roll in last night you _stink_!"

Grumbling the blonde sat up and sliding to her feet stripped off her soiled clothes before putting a clean t shirt and boxer shorts on, when she turned round her mom had her arms crossed and eyebrow raised in a silent version of '_are you kidding me?_' Rolling her eyes Quinn also found her sweats and threw them on over the top before raking her hands through a severe case of bed head.

"This is as civilised as I _get _on my day off mom."

Lily nodded begrudgingly and then pulled a face as she looked at the debris which littered the blondes room, before she had a chance to say anything Quinn grumbled.

"I'll clean it up today I promise!"

Leading the way out of the room her mom remarked dryly.

"No rush, no rush at all, but if we _could _do it before a new subspecies develops amongst the abandoned pizza boxes and old Chinese take out cartons I'd appreciate it."

Quinn snorted.

"You know Santana get's her sarcasm from _you _right mom? Bad example you're setting there!"

She tutted exaggeratedly and then smirked as she dodged the hand that was aimed at her leg.

"Gotta move faster than that old lady!"

Narrowing her eyes playfully Lily deliberately swept past in the chair and clipped her daughters foot lightly causing an aborted swear word to half fall from her lips, especially as she couldn't retaliate with company, so she took the high road and poked her tongue out as she took a seat and regarded the guy in front of her for a long moment.

"So…you wanted to see me, something about a job?"

She raised a curious eyebrow and tried to ignore the tingling in the back of her brain that wanted to ask _why _her foster mother was smirking like that, an unasked question that was soon answered as the guy opposite her grinned and leaned forward.

"Quinn, how do you _feel _about…_figure skating_?"

_And…that's part one, are you interested in me carrying on, do you like the novelty of a responsible Santana? LOL I have many, many ideas for this story and cannot wait for the first meeting between this universes Quinn and Rachel…it's gonna be explosive! For those of you who read Broken Beat & Scarred, I potentially have two more parts if there's an interest in them? Let me know! xxx_


	2. Chapter 2

_Okay…firstly can I just say WTFOMGBBQ! (I'm so down with the youth see?) um you guys totally blew me away with your response to this story, I don't want to give too much away but I will answer a few questions. Firstly yep for those who have asked it is inspired by The Cutting Edge one of my all time favourite films. Secondly Brittany will make an appearance but I haven't decided in what context, but it isn't a story without Brit there, also Kurt will, possibly Blaine but not sure about anyone else. Secondly I want Karofsky happy in this one cos he's like a huge cuddly teddy bear so there will be a happy ending there. But seriously you guys rock like AC/DC! Hope you enjoy this second instalment!_

_**Part Two: 'Are you strong enough?'**_

Quinn looked at the strange man opposite her (Coach William Schuster she reminded herself, so not strictly a stranger), then back to her mom who was still smirking it should be noted, then back at her own hands. Pursing her lips she deliberately pinched her arm then winced.

"Okay…definitely _not _dreaming then, and for the record…ow!"

Will looked at Lily who just rolled her eyes, when she noticed Quinn's attention was still diverted from the job offer she cleared her throat pointedly and gestured to the coach when the blonde looked at her. Taking a deep breath Quinn rubbed her hands together and eyed him speculatively.

"Is this some elaborate joke that Santana thought up because if it _is _you better come clean now…or your ass will get kicked just as hard as I'm gonna kick hers."

Will ran a hand through his hair and glanced at Lily again before frowning in confusion.

"Who is Santana?"

Seeing that Quinn was determined to remain silent and was continuing to regard the coach with nothing more than disbelief, Lily rolled herself over close enough to get the blonde hockey players attention before speaking in what Quinn thought of as her '_cop voice' _in other words, she wasn't messing around.

"Listen up honey, this isn't a joke, it isn't a trick. This guy's name is Coach William Schuster, he watched you play last night and he's here to offer you a golden opportunity. I want you to listen to him _carefully _before you make a decision, okay?"

Unaware her spine had straightened up on instinct when she heard the '_cop voice' _Quinn found herself nodding, then smiling faintly as her mom gently squeezed her knee in silent support. The hockey player cleared her throat and mustered up her trademark cocky smirk.

"Okay, I'll listen, after all even _I'm _not stubborn enough to throw him out without at least hearing him out…right mom?"

Scrunching her nose up as she pretended to think, the detective tilted her head to one side.

"Do you REALLY want me to answer that?"

Narrowing her eyes in mock annoyance Quinn couldn't help but laugh as her mom wheeled back too fast for her to grab, instead she pointed a warning finger.

"Watch it old lady, just remember _who _gets to choose your nursing home!"

An eyebrow arched in a disbelieving way as the detective smiled back serenely.

"Old lady huh? Maybe YOU should remember who does your laundry?"

Mock scowling Quinn half bowed in defeat from her seated position then they both chuckled before the hockey player turned back to face Will, he smiled fondly at the interaction between the two of them and found it amazing that they _weren't _actually genetically related. Realising Quinn was watching him expectantly he cleared his throat and reminded himself why he was there.

"Right, well I have something a little _different _for you obviously, but from what I saw last night of your style I have to say I think you would be formidable as a figure skater. I mean obviously it's going to be different and there will be a lot of training but Rachel…"

A slender but calloused hand raised itself halting him abruptly and when she had his attention she asked very pointedly.

"_Rachel_…you want me to partner another chick?"

A very loud throat clearing from the detective had Quinn rolling her eyes before correcting herself.

"_Woman_…sorry mom…but I mean isn't that sort of unusual? Aren't pairs meant to be like boy/girl, because I know my hairs kinda short and I have good musculature but I _also _have sweater cows and an inny not an outy, _definitely _female."

Will's mouth opened and closed absently as he tried to decipher what the blonde had just said, deciding the main point (and trying not to think at all about sweater cows) was the unusual partnering he just shook his head minutely and answered her.

"Um…right well, yeah _normally _it is boy/girl but there have been instances of same sex skating couples as the rules aren't strictly speaking against it. Plus if I'm being honest and laying all my cards on the table here I'll admit I'm _sort of _at the end of my rope. Rachel can be…temperamental to work with, hence there aren't any available partners willing to work with her."

Thinking over what he said Quinn sat back in the chair and something niggled at the back of her mind, after a moment she sat back up abruptly.

"Rachel…and temperamental, holy shi…uh crap, um you mean Rachel Berry don't you, the _original _Ice Princess?"

Wincing at the unflattering nickname the press and competitors had given his protégée the coach nodded, even knowing that it could mean he was about to lose his last chance before she'd even stepped into the rink. To his surprise instead of looking horrified the hockey player just grinned widely and laughed.

"Oh boy, ya know…I'm tempted just to say yes because I'd love to see the look on her face when she realises not _everyone _bows down to her superior attitude."

Will looked at Lily uncertainly, the detective just shrugged and half smiled as if she knew no more about the way her daughters mind worked than he did. After a pause Quinn cleared her throat and leaning forward placed her elbows on her knees and clasped her hands together.

"What are the terms, I mean, I take it _I'm _going to be the one wearing the trousers right? Cos no offence but she would make a _really _short guy."

Grinning now that the blonde was seemingly seriously considering the offer, Will nodded in agreement.

"Yes, you would be the one to take on the role traditionally skated by the male in the partnership, this means your upper body strength is _essential _as well as your balance and timing. From what I saw last night although the training will be intense you are more than capable of keeping up."

Quinn nodded thoughtfully, it was definitely different and one things for sure, if she was going to try it there was no way in _Hell _she was going to tell Santana! In fact she would swear her mom to secrecy and just say she was off to help train a pee wee hockey league or something. She could ask Dave to cover her shifts at the video game store till Mike got some permanent help in to replace her. God knows if the money was right she had nothing else holding her here (except her parents but that was _why _she was doing it in the first place), in fact it might be nice to get out of town and let the dust settle for a bit, wait for the angry boyfriends/fiancée's and husbands to forget about her. But _only _if the money was right…not because she was and always had been intrigued by the fiery little brunette, nope not that at _all_!

"Okay coach let's talk money…actually let me write down an amount and if you can get me that in advance then, well then, we have a deal."

She watched as Will nodded and picking up a pad and pen from the phone table quickly calculated how much more money they needed for the operation, the cost of airfare and hotel accommodation for the duration of the treatment for both her parents and physiotherapy for her mom, then she whacked on an extra fifty thousand as room to haggle. Handing the piece of paper to Will she watched his eyebrows raise into his hairline and then he rubbed his jaw.

"Would you mind if I made a call before I answer you, obviously I need to check with our sponsors, this is _quite _the lump sum you're asking for."

Deciding it was better not to mention that the sponsors were in fact Rachel's parents, Will disappeared off into the hallway and Quinn scratched her nose, deep in thought before she caught her mothers confused look. At the unasked question Lily leant back in her chair and just spread her hands wide as she asked.

"Why on _earth _do you need an advance…Quinn you _haven't _been gambling again have you?"

The blonde wondered how to reply to that, she obviously couldn't tell her the truth given there paying and organising the operation was a secret. But with her mom being a detective and Quinn not being a very convincing liar in the first place coming up with a believable story was difficult. Half truth?

"I…may have one or two _obligations _that I need to complete before I leave, but it's not what you think mom. Honest, I told you I would quit the casino's and I _have_."

Peering into the troubled hazel eyes for a long moment Lily eventually nodded and offered a small smile.

"Okay, I _believe _you…but then I sort of have to as you're my daughter, I seem to remember that clause being in the contract _somewhere_."

The detective grinned as Quinn aimed a cushion at the woman, it missed by a mile due to some fast wheelchair manoeuvring, Lily's aim was far better and Quinn fell back dramatically as her mom chuckled at her antics. She may be more trouble than her other two kids combined but she had a heart of gold, it's just that hardly anyone ever saw it.

"Thank God you cant knock women up so it's not that! Just promise you will at least _try _and behave if you decide to try out for this job?"

Quinn drummed her fingers on her sternum as she frowned exaggeratedly and pretended to think before replying.

"I can promise that I will _try _to _try _to behave?"

Rolling her eyes her mom smiled fondly.

"You're such a _dork _Quinn, you know that right."

Shrugging from her overly relaxed position flat out on the sofa the blonde yawned and thought fondly of her warm and ultra comfy bed only a few doors away, then sat up abruptly as Will came back in looking happy. He nodded to her.

"It's a lot of money but…_if _you're successful at the practice session then they will pay you it in four monthly instalments, the amount will then be deducted from any following checks you may receive and prize money, is that agreeable?"

Quinn tried her hardest and was luckily successful in keeping her jaw together, she had expected to have to haggle which is why she asked for more than she needed, so she could barter down, however she really wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth and held her hand out.

"_I'd _say you just found your figure skater Mr Schuster."

He grabbed it with both of his and shook enthusiastically with a wide grin.

"You _wont _regret this Quinn, I know this is all a bit different but I have a _good _feeling about this…and please call me Coach or Will, Mr Schuster makes me feel like a teacher!"

The hockey player shook her head slightly but grinned back.

"Okay, so how does this work, I mean I get that you want me to try out first but I mean, when, not right now is it cos…to be honest the old lady hasn't done my laundry yet."

She abruptly lifted her feet onto the sofa as Lily wheeled over where they had been a minute ago, she smirked until she got slapped upside the head. Will laughed and then checked his diary.

"No, not today, Monday morning. Do you want me to send the car for you or can you make your own way there?"

Strictly speaking Quinn had been banned from driving anything with four wheels but had skirted around that law and taken her bike licence so she grinned and chose to ignore her mom's pointed but for once ineffectual glare.

"No sweat coach, I got wheels just give me the address and the time and I'm there."

After ironing out the last of the fine details Quinn headed straight back to bed while Lily showed Will out still slightly bewildered at the offer that had come from nowhere, she was still slightly suspicious despite the many reassurances she had been offered and accepted, but that came with the badge.

"Well, I hope you're made of Teflon Coach Schuster, you thought you had it bad with just Rachel, but Quinn is just as tenacious…and you're gonna be putting them together."

It was at that point that Will Schuster wondered exactly _what _it was that he had just let himself in for…

Rachel had had a lousy nights sleep, her thoughts had continually tumbled around in her brain like a washing machine stuck on the spin cycle. She _knew _she was difficult, she _knew _she loved to skate and she _knew _her competitive nature would one day lead her to Olympic gold and stardom…but right now she had no idea _how _she was going to get there, there wasn't one person that she had skated with since Jesse douche bag that was anywhere _near _good enough to keep up with the pace she set. So as soon as she heard coach Schuster's car pull up she bolted from the relative warmth of the skating rink and over to meet him at his car. She wanted to greet him warmly but that wasn't who she was, besides she was learning not to get attached to anyone or anything so she merely covered her nervous hesitation by tucking a strand of her long brown hair behind her ear and asking abruptly.

"Where's my new partner, I thought you said you had someone new for me to try out?"

Choosing to ignore the lack of manners, and the abrupt appearance at his elbow as he took his overnight bag out of the car, Will simply smiled and nodded.

"I _have _found you a new partner but I assumed that you would want her to have a _proper _try out, and as she had home commitments to sort out first she'll be here first thing Monday, that's only one day and it gives _you _the chance to prepare a list of what you want her to perform for you."

Sighing irritably Rachel hated that the arguments he had presented were indeed valid ones and so she settled for pulling the collar of her fleece up to just under her nose before talking in a muffled voice.

"Well…yes I suppose that _does _make sense, just as long as their willing to work the long hours, you see, I _told _you someone would be willing to work for my fathers exorbitant generosity when it comes to wages and…"

Will had been waiting for this, for the moment when his choice of words would finally sink in, it took almost the whole of her rant before that light went on in her eyes and he waited for the inevitable, he was ashamed to admit he was fighting the urge to laugh as he watched the brown eyes go from self assured, to shock, then disbelief and _finally _plain and simple outrage.

"What the…_please _tell me that you just made an error with your grammar William Schuster!"

He smiled serenely and shrugged, yes a part of him was _definitely _enjoying the look on her face just a bit too much. He sighed internally however before saying honestly.

"Rachel, I _told _you I was going to have to get creative, _this _is creative and let's face it if Quinn manages to perform the male role then you guys will be working _twice _as hard as everyone else which gives you an edge! You'll be fitter, faster, a force to be reckoned with."

He waited for the verbal equivalent of Krakatau, currently however Rachel seemed to be stuck on impersonating a guppy and he waited patiently. When it _did _happen it was as impressive as usual with arms flailing as if to punctuate just _how _outraged she was.

"You…she…_what_? What the HELL were you _thinking_! This isn't going to give us an edge it's going to put us _on _the edge…as in the edge of obscurity! I cant skate with another woman, it's stupid! It's going to turn me into a sideshow, is that what you want for us to be a laughing stock? And what the Hell kind of a name is Quinn anyway, it's rather masculine, is that why you chose her is she one of those…asexual looking women?"

Internally he rolled his eyes and sighed but knowing that he needed to force his point home he merely folded his arms and crossed his legs at the ankle before leaning back on the hood of his car.

"Well let me put it _this _way, the international male skaters wont skate with you, the national championship _and _intermediate _and _beginner level skaters wont skate with you, I even put out feelers to bring a foreigner over and have them made citizens but as soon as I mentioned your name I was informed that _no one _would be interested!"

At the quickly masked pain in her eyes Will felt a pang in his own chest and wished that sometimes she would understand subtlety so he wouldn't _have _to hit her with blunt truths like this. He let his words sink in and then took a deep breath before carrying on in a much softer tone.

"Rachel…this is _it_, the last chance we have. You _need _to work with her, you need to at least give her a chance because after this, I don't know where else to look."

Swallowing slightly the skater looked down at her feet, Will felt terrible and stepping forward he placed both his hands on her shoulders and squeezed gently. After a moment she looked up with suspiciously wet eyes and he smiled softly.

"I would _never _intentionally make you a laughing stock Rachel, if I didn't believe in your talent and care about you then I wouldn't still _be _here. Whatever you may think, Quinn is a _good _skater, she's fast, she's strong and she isn't put off by the gossip, and I know for a _fact _she's a hard worker because it was Shannon that recommended her to me and you know she doesn't abide shirkers."

Rachel smiled softly at that, Shannon had been up to Will's place several times and Rachel had enjoyed her no nonsense attitude and easygoing demeanour, the brunette nodded and sighed softly.

"Okay…okay, well if _you _think it will work then I suppose I don't have anything to lose do I? what's she like character wise, I mean will we at least look good together?"

Will picked up his bag and nodded.

"Definitely, she's taller than you, blond, but it's cut pretty short and she plays hockey as well as helping Shannon coach, plus she runs her own team and oversees a street hockey league. Like I said she's a hard worker, she has an edge but…I'm sure the two of you will find _some _common ground to work from."

Rachel helped him in by taking his other bag for him and arched an eyebrow before commenting blithely.

"Once she realises we do things _my _way or not at all then I'm sure we will get along just fine."

Will internally grimaced and remembered Lily Rush's parting words…looks like luck wasn't _all _he could do with, idly he wondered if the surplus store on the outskirts of town stocked cattle prods and hazmat suits…that would surely keep him safe…right?

Meanwhile in the Rush household there was a strange silence as they all sat around the dining table, although sworn to secrecy about the _nature _of the job, Lily was not backwards in coming forwards to inform the rest of the family (Including their ma who had tried to eat evening meals with them despite the separation) that Quinn had been sought out, by name no less, for a very special type of job. The blonde hockey player had done her best to dodge a lot of the questions fired at her and right now was sat shovelling Santana's chicken rigatoni into her mouth at a constant pace to avoid talking. Dave looked puzzled at his sisters silence whereas Santana looked…calculating.

Looking round at her kids Lily couldn't help but smile fondly, to her right Sofia caught her eye and the detective felt a pang in her chest, she still loved her wife, she just couldn't take the smothering care. She smiled back slowly when the fire fighter rolled her eyes and gestured between San and Quinn. Lily nodded fractionally and raised an eyebrow in a silent question.

_How long till Santana lays on the questions so thick that Quinn collapses under the pressure and blabs?_

The detective didn't feel bad for telling Sofia the truth, after all they were married, separated for the moment but married nonetheless, _plus _she was Quinn's other parent and deserved to know the truth. The problem is they both knew and had in fact known from the very first day they picked Quinn up from the children's home that she couldn't lie to save her life. So, if she wanted to make a little money on a side bet it wasn't _necessarily _a bad thing, Sofia considered and held up three fingers discreetly, the detective grinned back and raised four, the bet made they sat patiently and waited.

Quinn could feel Santana's eyes on her and was hoping (or maybe for the first time in her life, _praying_) that the Latina would let her suspicions die a natural death and not give voice to the questions forcing their way to the forefront of her mind. However from the sly smile on the chef's face, the hockey player knew _that _wouldn't happen and so with a certain weary resignation she sighed set her fork down before looking across at her curious sibling.

"Okay…just do it already, just _ask _before your pretty little head bursts with the amount of pressure."

Smirking widely Santana sat back and regarded her sister for a long moment, it always _amazed _her that for a shit hot poker player she made an incredibly _useless _liar.

"Okay Q, let me break it down for you, you cant lie for shi…crap, sorry mom, ma. Anyway we _both _know you're a lousy liar so let's not talk about the pee wee hockey league thing, because yeah, you're good at hockey, amazing even but there's no way a pee wee league would come all the way out here just to headhunt you."

Toying with her blue Kool-aid Quinn shrugged a shoulder and tried not to catch the sharp brown eyes boring into her skull.

"Look, they just heard how good I was okay, that bit is true…I mean why _else _would someone come ask for me by name huh?"

Santana nodded in agreement.

"I'm not arguing that, I mean at the risk of your ego swelling anymore than it already is, you _are _a fantastic hockey player…but, that's not what you've been hired for is it?"

Shifting awkwardly in her seat Quinn drained her glass and avoided answering.

"What would make you say that?"

Santana rolled her eyes.

"Duh, because you're shifting even more guiltily than you did when mom accused Dave of subscribing to the Playboy channel…and you _still _haven't answered the question."

Letting out a breath the blonde grumbled then scowled before finally giving into the inevitable.

"_Fine, _I'll tell you but you _don't _get to take the piss okay!"

She winced as her ma's foot impacted lightly with her shin at the curse word and she took a moment to look duly chastised before turning back to her siblings, Santana looking at her expectantly, Dave more speculatively.

"Sorry ma…I'm maybe ya know…gonna be doing a little figure skating."

A hush fell over the table, Dave looked proud of her and just nodded as though it was nothing major, Lily took a mouthful of her fruit juice as she dutifully swallowed the pills Sofia passed her in a well rehearsed routine they perfected in the days after her discharge from hospital. Santana looked at the others and then roared with laughter.

"Oh my god you have _got _to be _shitting _me?"

The Latina winced as she _also _got a subtle kick to the shin and broke off her teasing to apologise before turning back to her sister who was flushed bright red with embarrassment.

"But _seriously_, Quinn Fabray, womanising, poker playing, tequila swigging Quinn Fabray is going to be pirouetting across the ice to Strauss in Lycra and sequins?"

Trying not to lose her temper and swear at the table again (because seriously, her shin was _still _throbbing!) Quinn sighed and sunk her head into her hands.

"Just _shut up _okay…it wont be how _you're _thinking, he wants me because I can physically play the role of the male…strength wise that is!"

The Latina just smirked and raised an eyebrow.

"Does that mean you're gonna have to pack when you're on the ice, Quinn Fabray with a bulge in Lycra, holy shi…uh crap I mean!"

A hand shot down to protect her shin as Sofia and Lily raised their eyebrows in stereo.

"Oh come _on _people are gonna want to see that especially anyone who knows her, I mean you know how proud Quinn is of her tough girl rep, aw Hell I hope it's televised then I can get Frank to put it on at the bar, we can make an _event _out of it!"

Groaning Quinn let her head thump down onto the table and grunted into the solid oak wood.

"Gee and to think I thought you would _tease _me, whatever gave me _that _idea?"

Both their parents cracked up and Dave cleared his throat, the hockey player rolled her head to the side to look over at him without lifting it from the table. When they locked eyes he grinned at her in a different way, he almost looked excited and perhaps hopeful for her.

"I think you're gonna surprise yourself with how good you are _and _how much you're going to enjoy it. You've never found that one thing that you can give your whole self to…but I think _this _will be it."

Quinn sat up abruptly and after a moment she hurried over to his side and embraced him, placing a gentle kiss on his forehead.

"Dave, you're the best brother a girl could ask for, you know that right?"

The tall guy shrugged his broad shoulders and looked shy as he let her hug him. Santana rolled her eyes and mimed a gagging noise, at Quinn's glare the Latina just flipped her off.

"_Seriously _Dave, you don't want to tease her even a _little_? I mean come _on_…it's _Quinn _the lesbianest lesbian that ever gayed up the streets of our humble town!"

Unsure whether that was meant to be an insult or a compliment the hockey player chose the latter and grinned while her brother affectionately ruffled her hair, merely sparing an eye roll for his other sister.

"Just…make it a new start okay sis? _Forget _the past, forget _all _the crap you've done here…just go there, where no one knows you and where you can find yourself instead of trying to be someone you _think _you should be, or worse, someone you think everyone _else _thinks you are, promise me?"

Choosing to ignore the faint pang she felt deep in her chest at his words she just nodded and hid her head in his shoulder for a moment while she gained control of her voice, her mom's knew she was having a rare vulnerable moment and decided to start clearing the table, as Sofia passed Santana she raised an eyebrow and whispered for her to behave. Rolling her eyes the Latina nonetheless helped clear the dishes, when Quinn looked up she realised that everyone had disappeared and blinked for a couple of moments before letting go of her big brother.

"You're lucky you're my brother you know? I wouldn't let anyone _else _get away with that sappy shit, I am a hard ass after all."

Smirking he stood up and rolled his eyes.

"No, you _hope _that everyone see's you like a hard ass but you aren't, not really. Tell me something Quinn, all those girls you've been with, have you ever felt anything with any of them…beyond an orgasm I mean?"

The blonde snorted and folded up the tablecloth, she could only take so many serious conversations in one day.

"You say that like orgasm's are a _bad _thing bro, believe me they aren't!, and I already told you…true love is a fallacy, it doesn't _exist _outside of fiction and hallmark cards."

He rolled his eyes again and shoved her playfully as he opened the cupboard for her to put the cloth back into.

"Yeah ,you _want _to believe that but you _don't_, not even for a second…and one day you're gonna have one of those foot popping kisses because it's gonna be with someone you realise you love."

Quinn laughed, sadly it wasn't really good enough to convince herself let alone Dave and so she shoved him back playfully instead.

"_You _have just been watching too much Princess Diaries oh brother dear!"

He laughed and didn't even try to deny it, merely shrugging unashamedly.

"What can I say, Julie Andrews is _totally _my home girl…I sometimes wonder in my more theological moments if she isn't God in disguise."

Quinn burst into laughter at that.

"Oh my God! And Santana thinks _I'm _overly gay, if I'm the lesbianest lesbian then by far are you the campiest camp man _ever _born!"

They headed back towards the kitchen to help with the dishes, thanks to Dave and her mom's that had actually gone a _lot _smoother than she anticipated, however without _them _to run interference she had no doubt her and Santana would end up brawling at some point thanks to the Latina's innate ability to rile her up.

Monday morning saw three anxious people all worrying about the same thing and having no idea they weren't the only one that it was concerning! Rachel Berry woke extra early and took an especially _long _run to try and pound out her anxieties, in the hopes that she would be able to keep at least _some _of her narky comments to herself. She knew she was very much on her last chance and she really, _really _didn't want to blow it. After all, if she was skating with another _woman _then surely that would lead to a better, rather than a worse understanding?

Besides, if Schu thought that this…_Quinn _could do the job then she supposed she would have to trust him, she only hadn't before because, well, let's face it he _wasn't _the best at judging personalities. Rachel thought up and re thought and then picked apart and re thought _again, _every possible way she could mess things up. The fact was, whoever this Quinn Fabray was, _they _were the one that had to prove themselves, not her! _She _was the known quantity in this equation whereas the _hockey player _(she really would need to learn not to grimace every time she thought about _that_!) was the one with all to play for!

Smiling at herself and rather pleased with her own pun the brunette headed back inside and checked the time, she had just over two hours before she was due to meet the _hockey player _(that was a bit better it looked more like a twitch than a grimace that time, she was getting there) and put her through her paces. While she would make certain allowances she would also allow nothing but complete and utter dedication to the pursuit of their goal. It would certainly be an interesting morning.

Across town Quinn rolled over in bed and groaned as the bright ray's of sunshine pierced through her eyelids and seemingly burned into her brain, scowling she grabbed a pillow and pulled it over her head with both hands trying to keep her eyes out of the poisonous sunlight. With both hands on the pillow it belatedly occurred to her slightly fuzzed brain that it was _impossible _for her to also have one on her hip…and yet there _was _indeed a hand on her hip, as that knowledge sank in she sat bolt upright ignoring the lance of pain through her temple as she fell rather ungracefully off the edge of the bed…_not _her bed she absently noted.

Lying flat on the floor she ignored (or tried to) the rolling of her stomach and struggled to remember _what _had happened last night before she had to acknowledge whoever her bed partner was. Her friends had thrown together a good luck/going away party, the fact it was the last minute meant nothing to them in terms of planning, and often the best parties were the last minute ones. There was drinking, some strippers she vaguely remembered (have to thank Mike for that later) body shots, then a bit _more _drink then…nope it was no use she had no idea _who _in the Hell she had gone home with, she was however, about to find out as a throat was clearing itself pointedly. With a bit of caution she opened her eyes halfway, glad that from the ground she wasn't being blinded at least.

Okay, a red head…well that was different, _normally _she went for brunette's, forcing a weak smile she levered herself up onto her elbows as she discreetly surveyed the woman who was currently covered only by a thin bed sheet. Bright green eyes, as in knock you off your _feet _green, a dash of freckles across her cheeks and the bridge of her nose, nice full mouth, definitely a good score…if she could only remember the damn _name_!

"Um…sorry about that, guess the booze is still in my system, good night last night though huh?"

It was less of a statement and more of a question to be honest, as she had _no _idea what sort of time they had had. As she smiled weakly she caught the time in the corner of her eye and then yelped and leapt up foraging hurriedly amidst the bundles on the floor to find her clothes, the red head watched her with a mixture of puzzlement and disbelief.

"I am late getting up, as in _really _late, as in I'm gonna blow my chance before I even _get _there at this rate!"

Shoving her shorts on hurriedly she bent to grab her socks and ended up face down on the loveseat next to the dresser, cursing under her breath she started throwing clothes on left right and centre. By this point and realising she was getting ignored by the woman who had seemed so enraptured by her last night, the redhead scowled and threw Quinn's shirt at her from the other side of the bed, sighing Quinn looked back at her as she slipped it on missing a button as she went.

"Look, I'm sorry okay but I _really _don't have time for this um…Dawn?"

She took a shot in the dark with that, it _sounded _familiar at least, judging by the look on the girls face and the fact that Quinn found her left Converse as it flew at her head from the enraged woman's hand, she _hadn't _guessed correctly. Bending to scoop up the shoe she rummaged until she found the right one that matched it before heading toward the end table where she spotted her wallet and key's, pausing by the door she tried one more time.

"Um…Fawn?"

Scowling darkly and sitting up higher displaying a chest, flushed with anger this time rather than passion, as she spat out her name.

"Siobhan! _Christ _Quinn!"

Shrugging apologetically or rather _unapologetically _as she couldn't help the smirk, (it wasn't her fault if she just _that _damn talented when it came to picking women up) besides which no one said she had to remember their _names_, just be fast, and as she ran for her bike outside and heard something very heavy thud into the door behind her she was glad of her ability to do the latter exceptionally well. Fingers crossed she hoped she would get there on time…she would just have to pour on the speed a bit, that was all.

Will was pacing and going through the exercises he wanted to try Quinn with when she got there, as much as he hated to admit it he was worried, worried for several reasons. Firstly although Quinn was indeed a talented skater he had done a little more digging and what he read was not _exactly _bedtime reading. Some of it was nothing, the drunkenness and brawling…well _everyone _had occasionally gotten carried away in that regard, the eighteen months for card counting was not…_comforting, _but at least it wasn't technically a crime, unless you were a casino owner anyway.

It was the social stuff that bothered him, the gambling and taste for women of a less than stellar background. It's not that the ice skating world _hadn't _seen scandals before because it was as susceptible to them as every other area of sport (except maybe Baseball) but Rachel _already _had enough rumour and scandal associated with her name. it started with Jesse St James having that affair with her, it was before her engagement with Finn but she _was _dating him when it happened. Luckily, thanks to an anonymous source and her fathers money, the scandal died an early death. It was possible that he knew a way out of this, but it would effectively hobble the hockey player and he had no idea how she would react to a moral clause in her contract, he could only hope she needed the money so much that she wouldn't object.

At the distant roar of a motorcycle coming down the drive to the rink two heads popped up, Rachel snapped her head up from the book she was buried in and after a moment decided that yes, it _was _in fact her new so called partner arriving. Setting the novel aside she stood up and laced her skates tightly, she wanted to be active on the ice when the new guy, well, _girl_, walked in. Outside Will came out of his office/house with his folder of papers and looked up with a grin as the battered Harley pulled up outside.

Quinn pulled her crash helmet off and set it to rest on the handlebars before wincing and standing to stretch out her kinked muscles. She nodded to Will with a half smile and was glad she'd managed to find a gas station on the way to sort herself out in properly, including brushing her teeth and buying a comb and a coffee, she extracted the comb now and quickly ran it through the short locks restoring them to order before grabbing her skates out of the bike's panniers and slinging them over her shoulder.

"Morning coach, let's get this show on the road huh? Never gonna know if we can work together if we don't meet right!"

Will wished her smile could gave _him _some confidence but something told him this meeting was going to either be the start of something amazing or as volatile as unstable plutonium…he also had to stop falling asleep watching the discovery channel so his synonyms went back to being pedestrian and less nerdy. He nodded and led the way into the rink where he knew Rachel was waiting.

Sure enough as soon as soon as they walked in he could see her gliding across the ice effortlessly, she had her eyes fixed on the mirror wall as she went through the routine in her head but the coach knew her attention was fixed on the new 'interloper' and she came to an abrupt but graceful stop in front of them.

Quinn was more in awe of the private rink than she was being in the presence of the '_great' _Rachel Berry. However who could _not _look up at that sort of entrance, and at that point she took her eyes off of the splendour of the rink and towards the brunette in front of her. At the same time Rachel decided she really _ought _to make an effort and turned her own gaze towards the visitor.

Brown clashed with hazel as two set's of eyes locked onto each other.

Something _weird _happened to Quinn at that point, it was normal when a blonde set eyes on a woman for the first time for her to assess three things, the first of course being the obvious physical attractiveness of the individual in question. The second and almost more important aspect was the body language that the woman was displaying towards her and consequently what her chances were of getting lucky. Third of course was how much charm she would have to use and how much pressure to apply. This time _none _of those things happened, if it hadn't been for the hangover lingering in the back of her mind she would _almost _think she was coming down with something.

She felt a little short of breath, not from exertion, more like someone had socked her in the gut, she had to consciously tell herself how to breathe as she found herself caught in what _should _be ordinary brown eyes. The weirdest thing was the smile, she never smiled like this! Smirk, all the time, grin naturally and of course the occasional lopsided half smirk…but not this _stupid _smile she felt creeping onto her face. It was soft and unguarded, she hadn't smiled like _this _since…she slammed a door on that memory and cursed herself for a moment of weakness, she blinked, breaking the trance and transformed the wimpy smile into her usual smirk.

Rachel found herself in a similar situation when she caught sight of Quinn, those hazel eyes were…_annoyingly _enrapturing her, and the cupid's bow lips that started to turn up slightly in a soft smile as their gazes lingered. For someone who was going to be taking on the male role she was amazingly feminine, the brunette was not quite sure what she was _expecting, _but the distinctly female form in front of her was _not _it. When Quinn blinked however and transformed her soft smile into an arrogant smirk the spell between them was broken and Rachel could feel her own neutral look morphing into the usual habitual half scowl.

"_This _is what you bring me Schuster…did it even dress itself?"

Quinn raised an eyebrow and folded her arms as she glared back just as insolently and replied before Will could shoe horn his way into the conversation.

"Yeah I dressed myself, which is why I _actually _look like an adult, I mean no offence Princess but you have a _moose _on your granny sweater and you're going to lecture _me _on fashion?"

Scowling back at the tall blonde, Rachel skated slowly backwards and looked at her coach scathingly but spoke to the blonde.

"Once you get your _hooves _into the skates maybe we can prove just how bad this idea was…then you can go back to your hockey racket's and teaching other delinquents how to open beer bottles with their oddly primate like toes!"

Quinn sat on the side of the rink to change into the figure skates that Will had given to her on his visit and muttered something under her breath which Rachel thankfully couldn't hear and which made the very tips of Will's ear go bright red. Once securely fastened Quinn skated smoothly over to where Rachel was making a good show of aloof impatience as she inspected her nails. Slowing naturally to a standstill beside the diva she gave her a not very covert once over and smirked again, Rachel scowled.

"Can we just get _on _with this so I can prove how much of a ludicrous notion this whole thing _is_?"

A golden eyebrow arched in a look that even the brunette _had _to admit was impressive as she offered her hand.

"I don't know how _you _were raised Princess, but _my _mom's always told me that when you meet someone for the first time it's polite to shake hands and introduce yourself…Quinn Fabray."

Quinn raised her hand expectantly and Rachel was annoyed at the flush of shame that tinged her cheeks red, holding her head high she chose to pretend it was the rosy flush of being in the rink as opposed to having to concede a point to the smirking blonde. Gritting her jaw she shook the hand on offer and frowned slightly at the touch. Her new partners hands were calloused and rough but at the same time…oddly comforting. The moment of relaxation halted however when she looked up and saw the glint of amusement in the hazel eyes and abruptly the brunette yanked her hand free with a sound of disgust.

"God your hands are _rough_…do you wash them with _rocks _or something!"

Glancing down at her hands Quinn's eyebrow rose again and remembering the night before and what her hands had been _doing, _she grinned lasciviously enjoying the red that suffused the little diva's cheeks.

"Trust me, they work _just fine_, 100% customer approved in fact."

She winked and Rachel planted a hand on her hip as she turned to her coach looking frustrated, she knew what was at stake but _really_…this was intolerable and she turned back to the cocky blonde, scathing retort locked and loaded behind her full lips.

"I'm sure where _you _live, the neighbourhood girls find it satisfactory, however I prefer a little _class _in my…associations, and that of course is something you would know _nothing _about!"

Taking that as a slur on her mom's for the way she was raised Quinn let the smirk fall from her face and replaced it with a glower.

"Wow, the word bitch doesn't even cover what _you _are! Talk about downplaying the rumour…you never said part of this deal was having to work with someone that has all the social graces and appeal of Hitler's missing testicle!"

Rachel whirled round angrily at that, eyes narrowed as she jabbed a finger towards Quinn's chest, Will saw the blonde clench one hand into a fist even as she leant backwards and away from the gesticulating finger, so he walked hastily onto the ice and got between both of them raising his voice in one of the rare times he let his frustration show.

"ENOUGH!"

Both women froze and looked to him, Rachel still pointing angrily and Quinn with her mouth open ready to shoot off yet another harsh retort, now they just looked at him, eyes wide with shock. When he was _sure _he had their attention he lowered his hands watching with some satisfaction as they subconsciously did the same.

"Rachel, apparently you have already forgotten what I told you and have BEEN telling you for the past month. This is your _last _chance! Quinn is the _only _partner I can find you, the only one _willing _to work with you…if you _cant _find a way to make this work then you will be retiring as an un-seeded skater!"

Rachel's eyes fell for a moment before she glanced back at him and nodded once, sharply, from the corner of his eye he saw Quinn's smirk and turned to her with the same stony expression he had bestowed on the little diva.

"And I don't know why _you _look so smug, you're no better off! What are you going to go back to, working three jobs to try and make the kind of money you obviously need? Or will it be back to underground card games and more prison time?"

The blonde flushed and the smug look soon dropped off her face as she took the hit with merely a tightening of the jaw and another abrupt nod, Will looked between the two of them and felt a glimmer of hope, despite the _somewhat _disastrous start to the try out he could _see _the flames, he could _see _the energy they could both pour into a performance, he just had to get _them _to see it and harness it properly…instead of using it to wind each other up to the point of physical violence.

"I'm glad we have that clear, now can we perhaps move _past _the pointless name calling and posturing and try some simple moves to see if you can actually skate well together!"

Nodding the women let Will direct them, Rachel in front with the taller blonde stood just behind her, after running a critical eye over their positions Will nodded to himself and taking Quinn's right hand lay it on Rachel's waist.

"You need to keep a grip there, don't squeeze just move together, _glide_, it needs to look like you're one person moving with one intent, okay?"

Quinn swallowed slightly not liking how she was enjoying the feel of Rachel under her hand, the _last _thing she needed was to actually _like _the annoying and outright rude brunette…despite that though her hand found itself happier than it ever had on any other woman and a part of Quinn wanted to yell at it for its traitorous feelings, but that would look just a _tad _mental, so she insisted instead on smirking and deliberately winking when Rachel turned to regard her at Will's last question. Brown eyes rolled in irritation at the persistent expression on the blondes face and the annoying fact that the stupidly rough calloused hand actually felt very…nice, where it rested on her waist, they both nodded at Will's question and he stepped back before Quinn remembered what she was going to ask.

"Whoa, hey wait…hang on a sec, _what _exactly are these claw thingies at the front of my skates?"

Rachel looked at her with incredulity and it was now _Quinn _that felt the telltale flush of pink creep up across her cheeks, she studiously ignored the little diva's look and looked at Will who realised at that moment the difference between hockey skates and figure skates that he'd always taken for granted _wasn't _obvious to the hockey player in front of him and he cleared his throat.

"It's the toe pick."

Quinn smirked and fought the urge to giggle at the name, it always annoyed at her that her sense of humour had seemingly got stuck at the age of thirteen, she still giggled whenever someone said _wiener_. In this instance she thankfully reigned in the vocal amusement and clearing her throat attempted to make a joke to lighten the mood.

"So what…we use them to clean under our toe nails?"

Rachel turned her head slowly and directed a distinctly un amused gaze at the taller girl behind her before forcing a cold smile.

"I wouldn't let the foreign notion of digging out the forest worth of dirt you no doubt have under your toe nails, get in your way."

Deciding that kicking the uptight dive up the ass _might _not reflect well on her trial run Quinn just smirked again (having already picked up on how it annoyed the brunette more than any retort she could come up with) and leant forward to mutter low enough so _only _Rachel would hear.

"I wouldn't worry…I'm not known for letting _anything _get in my way!"

Rachel's lips curled in distaste and Quinn counted it as a win for her when she noticed just _how _clenched the brunettes jaw was as she barked out at Will to count off the start. The coach did so with his heart literally in his mouth as he waited to see what would happen, as he expected Rachel couldn't _help _but showboat and took off powerfully hoping to prove that she was the far superior skater and that it would be the blonde hockey player who would be the one playing catch up.

He called out for the brunette to slow down reminding her that this _wasn't _a race, he _knew _she wouldn't slow down but as he watched, the blonde took several powerful steps forward and glided smoothly to catch the dive up easily. For a while they skated together, with perfect fluidity, they were in tempo and looked good…even for a first skate they moved as though it were something they did _everyday_…until of course it _didn't _look like that.

Rachel skated into the next move, which required her to surge forward and for Quinn to reach out and link hands with her, of course this had _two _problems, _firstly _Will hadn't briefed or asked for them to make the move and _secondly _as the blonde had pointed out before they took off across the ice she wasn't yet used to figure skates…which was why when she made to move forward and catch the diva's hand she instead caught the toe pick. Will closed his eyes and sighed internally knowing what was going to happen next but unable to look away, for her part Rachel skated slowly backwards with her own grin and arms folded as the previously cocky blonde attempted to keep her balance before face planting onto the ice and sliding forward several feet.

Just to add insult to injury and because she _could_, Rachel slid smoothly over to where Quinn was looking up from her spread eagled position on the floor, once she knew she had the blondes attention she smiled sweetly and lifting up the left foot tilted the skate until the tip of the blade caught the fluorescent lighting before speaking slowly and distinctly.

"Toe. pick."

Gritting her teeth Quinn just let her head sink to the ice with a muted curse before forcing a neutral expression and getting to her feet, a Fabray _never _lost their temper (unless drunk) a Fabray _waited _until the perfect opportunity for revenge came up. Back on her feet she skated over to join the nervous looking Will and smug looking diva. As it became obvious that Quinn _wasn't _going to blow up or start an argument the coach relaxed and gestured for Rachel to stand _directly _in front of the hockey player this time. They could skate together and they had fallen into a natural rhythm that took most partnerships _months _to perfect, now to test the upper body strength, after all if this was going to work Quinn was going to have to do a _lot _of lifting.

"Okay, Rachel arms out to the side and hold steady, Quinn I want you to pick her up under the arms and hold her above you…okay?"

Because she was behind the diva and ducked her head in a nod Will didn't see the brief smirk on the hockey players face, just the nod. He stepped back and motioned for her to start, Quinn had no worries about whether or not she _could _do it and planting her feet the same way she would while shooting a goal she easily lifted the dive into the air and held her there, satisfied with the height she managed to get. Will nodded happily as he examined the lift from all angles to make sure there were no signs of wobbling or strain, to his delight the blonde looked determined her arms rock steady and he clapped his hands delightedly.

"Okay you can let her down now."

Quinn however just maintained the position with a smirk and waited…she knew it wouldn't take long, sure enough after only three seconds the brunette turned round and scowled down at the hockey player over her shoulder.

"He said put me down, you _ignoramus_!"

Eyes wide in mock innocence Quinn blinked and feigned sudden understanding.

"You want down? _Sure_, no problem!"

With absolutely _no _grace or style the hockey player just let her arms go slack sending the brunette to the ice in an ungainly crash, Quinn smirked as she watched Rachel land with a loud smack on her ass, she shrugged when Will looked at her with a '_did you have to?_' expression, Rachel missed the exchange however as she whirled round to glare at the hockey player, eyes flashing with anger.

"You…YOU IDIOTIC THUG!"

Will glanced between the two of them and sighed internally, as he saw one of Rachel's fathers retreat from the viewing area, if _they _had seen that then it didn't look likely they would approve of the blonde hockey player and he was back at square one, he was just glad the guy left _before _Quinn slid her hands into her pockets and casually shrugged as she smirked down at the fuming diva.

"Oops…guess we're gonna have to work on _that _lift a bit more, huh Princess?"

Will watched as Rachel spluttered indignantly before picking herself up and heading off hands firmly planted on hips and spine ramrod straight with repressed anger. The coach looked at Quinn then actually sighed audibly before motioning to the house with his head.

"Come on…let's go have some lunch and then I think Rachel's father wants to meet you."

Glancing at the shadow of the imposing house that was visible through the glass partition in the ceiling of the rink Quinn nodded and skated over to change into her Converse.

_**This **__should be an interesting conversation!_

_As you can see in some ways this will be very close to the cutting edge movie, in other parts it will be vastly different, mainly as the circumstances in this one are completely different, but I'm definitely going to be including the fun parts, if there are any bits you definitely don't want me to cut out that were in the film then let me know! Sorry for the long wait between updates but I found myself on niece and nephew duty the past few days! As of tomorrow normal service will hopefully be resumed, you have my thanks and gratitude as always you lovely people you! xxxoooxxx_


	3. Chapter 3

_And here we go again oh faithful readers, the families meet! Also I really want Dave to be happy in this fic so if any of you have an idea who I could set him up with drop me a line and let me know! For now just enjoy this next chapter and don't yell at the fact it's taking these two so long, after all they are both hideously stubborn so it's bound to come slowly and with a few bumps along the way!_

Lunch was just as ostentatious as the house itself, not that the hockey player was complaining because she liked food, a lot…it was lucky she was so active and burnt off twice as many calories as she consumed. Quinn couldn't help but glance across the table to take a glance at Rachel while she could do so unobserved. One of the diva's fathers had joined Will, Rachel and Quinn for lunch just as Will had indicated they would, Leroy Berry was a tall and very imposing black man with close cropped hair, upon first meeting Quinn was suitably intimidated, that illusion was shattered when the man grinned and it literally lit the room up…the hockey player reflected idly that Rachel must get her personality from her _other _father.

It annoyed her how just how much the spoilt little brunette was on her mind, she was rude, entitled, arrogant and plain old irritating…and yet she couldn't _stop _thinking about her, about how her hand had felt at home resting on the trim waist, how when they were skating together she felt an odd sort of, well, peace wasn't the right word but she wasn't sure rightness was an actual word either. But she _did _feel right, at home even when the two of them were physically connected and moving together, she found herself flushing slightly at the thought of moving together with Rachel Berry and realised she had growled out loud when Will glanced at her. Thumping her chest she faked a cough and flicked her eyes down to the table to avoid any questioning glances.

It was infuriating because she _needed _this job, they only had five months to get that operation paid for and so she had to at _least _stick it out for the four months it would take to get the payment she had requested. She had foolishly assumed that if she could survive eighteen months in jail she could survive four months working with the fabled 'Ice Princess', in theory it was a flawless plan…she just hadn't counted on having _these _particular feelings for the pain in the ass diva, not that she knew what _these _feelings even were! Normal SOP for Quinn when it came to dating was to either sleep with someone and then move on or not sleep with them and keep them as a friend, so this situation was completely messed up as she wanted _both _and _neither _of those things at the same time.

Unknown to her, Rachel was sat across the way, seemingly chatting idly with her father but thinking much the same thing. The hockey player _was _annoyingly agile despite her inability to use the figure skates properly, especially the toe pick (she masked a laugh as a reply to something her father had said when she remembered the cocky blonde face planting onto the ice in a heap) and _yet_…she also couldn't deny the fact she had felt something special for the few moments they had skated well together. She had felt a certain joy in skating that had been missing ever since she crashed out of the international competition over two years ago.

And that was a fantastic thing, an _amazing _thing in fact, but why oh why did it have to be with Quinn '_up her own ass' _Fabray! She knew that to the hockey player it was just a job, she saw a pay check and nothing more, but to Rachel it was a _dream_, it was something she'd wanted since watching her fathers video of Torville and Dean skating to the Bolero. When she was on the ice she didn't feel _alone_, something which privately she admitted she always felt even when surrounded by people, sometimes even when her father's were home with her, it wasn't that they didn't make her feel loved because they did but growing up with tutors and coaches she had few close friends. So to her ice skating was something that enabled her to feel a peace she had rarely felt off the ice. And now she would have to share it with this brash, ex convict thug who treated her like she was nothing more than an annoyance. And whom she felt an odd and frustrating pull towards.

Sighing internally she stabbed at her lettuce with irritation watching as Quinn chatted amiably enough with Will about some of the games that she and Shannon had coached or played together. She glanced over to her father who was looking between her and the hockey player speculatively. She forced a small smile for him and then pretended to be interested in her dinner. Half of her hoped that he would send Quinn on her way after lunch, and then she could always retrain herself to be at least a satisfactory singles skater, if that particular thought brought a pang of pain to her chest she chose to ignore it.

Quinn was also sneaking glances across at the opposite end of the table, she knew that it was _highly _possible that she had blown her chance at this job after dropping the diva on her ass. If that was the case then she would have to think about talking to Fast Eddie again, yes it would mean risking jail or several broken limbs but she could live with that if it paid for the operation, her mom's would never see it the same way she did but that was because they had no idea how she had had to live before they came and rescued her, she owed them everything, more than they would even know. She looked up as Mr Berry cleared his throat and smiled politely.

"Well, now we've eaten, I think it's time for myself and Miss Fabray to have a talk, Rachel sweetheart maybe you could sort out the guest room for me, Finn is due in a few days for the long weekend."

At his vocal dismissal the brunette diva nodded and with a forced smile rushed off like she had been given a get out of jail free card. Will happily headed back to his own cabin, as much as he liked his employers he found the atmosphere in the main house kind of oppressive. Quinn realised she was the only one left in the dining room at that point and taking the older man's cue she picked up her glass of mineral water and followed him into his study. From the outside and given the heavy dark wood door it _felt _almost draconian, however as soon as she walked in she felt herself grin and an invisible weight lifted off of her shoulders. It was light and airy with an indoor basketball hoop and more importantly a 360 which was paused on the menu screen of a game she was very familiar with.

"Whoa nice office Mr B, not like I thought it would look at all."

The tall man's face broke into a childlike grin as he sank into the deep leather desk chair before motioning for Quinn to take the one opposite him.

"I know! Hiram hates it, he says it doesn't portray the correct professional atmosphere or something."

He shrugged and waved a hand dismissively as he carried on talking, the hockey player couldn't help but grin in reply, in contrast to the uptight Rachel Berry, Leroy Berry was a breath of fresh air.

"Well I personally wouldn't want to do business with someone who _didn't _know how to beat the Arishok."

He looked up at that and when he saw the young woman gesture to the paused 360 he laughed slightly and slapped a palm down lightly on the desk top.

"Now _that's _what I'm talking about!…however as we are _meant _to be discussing business I suppose we should."

He looked reluctant as he sat back in his chair and with a contemplative sigh he regarded the young woman in front of him. On paper he had to admit he wouldn't want this Quinn anywhere near his daughter but…in person she was sort of growing on him, and not _just _because she recognised Dragon Age. However there _was _the fact that she and Rachel appeared to have a very intense hate/hate relationship, one that might prove detrimental to both of them, although Leroy was torn, he was usually a pretty good judge of character and he believed that Quinn was a good person at heart who had made some bad choices, she reminded him a lot of himself when he was at college. He hated to wonder what might have happened to him if Hiram hadn't come along, would he be the one with a criminal record looking for a last chance? Rubbing his upper lip thoughtfully he decided to just be honest.

"Miss Fabray, can I be honest with you, speak openly here?"

The hockey player smiled slightly but shrugged in reply.

"Yeah, I mean it's not like I could stop you and to be honest I prefer a little honesty, but um…call me Quinn or Q, the only people that have _ever _called me 'Miss Fabray' are people who are telling me I'm in trouble."

He could _definitely _relate to that and pushing his glasses up his nose he nodded agreeably.

"From what I saw on the ice rink you can definitely skate, you have the power, grace and drive to do well…but this idea was always an odd one to me, I mean the same sex thing _not _so much because I'm totally gay as are you I assume."

At her nod he smiled slightly and carried on.

"So that aspect I am completely on board with because it appeals to my need to pave a path for gay rights! But there _is _an issue in that you and Rae seem to be _less _than amicable with each other, and I'm not sure she needs the extra stress in her life on top of everything else."

Quinn looked at the man in front of her and decided that the best way to answer this time was with the complete truth, after all if she lied _now _and lost the job she would never forgive herself, besides hate was a powerful emotion, it might just work to their advantage when it came to their skating.

"Mr Berry, I'm going to ask you for the same courtesy and I'm going to be brutally honest with you because something tells me that you're also a man that prefers that to diplomatic tip toeing?"

She watched as the corners of his lips quirked up in a smile and he acknowledged she was correct with a very slight tilt of his head.

"Well you're right, we DON'T like each other that much is obvious. She think's _I'm _nothing but one step away from doing life for murder. And, well, if I'm honest _I _think that personality wise she has about as much appeal as a punch in the eye."

Leon raised his eyebrows and Quinn carried on, she'd started so she may as well see it through to the end no matter what that '_end' _might turn out to be.

"So personality wise yeah, we clash as bad as Malcolm X at dinner with the KKK, but does that mean we cant skate together well? All the greatest partnerships came out of either love or amazing irritation. We sure as hell aint gonna reach for love."

She paused at that and frowned, unsure as to why she felt a slight pang in her chest, maybe she shouldn't have downed three bottles of soda, indigestion, it must be indigestion…yeah. Leroy noticed the look and internally his father instinct sat up sharply, while his gay instinct smirked knowingly. Clearing her throat the hockey player carried on.

"So let's use out irritation, we are inevitably going to feeling it, but it can feed the fire of our talent, I _know _I can do this, she's _obviously _talented, I mean if not for the fall two years ago she would already have the gold medal."

This time Leroy did raise his eyebrow and Quinn felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment as she admitted.

"My mom's are fans…well strictly speaking it's _ma _who's the fan and mom just likes watching her get so into the performances, or at least she used to…"

Clamping her mouth shut with a sense of regret at saying too much she cleared her throat again and started talking before Leroy could ask her anything more (as much as she liked the guy, her parents dirty laundry was something she didn't intend on airing anytime soon). Though if she'd actually looked up she would have seen a subtle understanding in his eyes and realised he had no intention of pushing her, maybe if they got to know each other better he would let her know she could unload whatever was on her mind, but for now he knew it would only upset her so he sat back and let her carry on speaking.

"Basically I think that _despite _our differences, we can make this work, in a way no other partnership ever would! And in a blatant appeal to your inner activist, it _would _be kinda cool to have a same sex couple on the main podium at the next Olympics."

Having said her piece the hockey player sat back and ran one hand through her hair thoughtfully as she waited for his reply. Leroy blew a breath out through his nostrils and thought over what she had said, yes it _would _be hard for both her and Rachel to work together. But as she had pointed out, just because they had an intense dislike for one another (which he had already suspected was a cover for something else) didn't mean they couldn't, indeed, work together. In a way the trial skate had proved to be as good as it was bad. He _loved _his daughter and _hated _that work kept he and his husband away from her as often as it did, it wasn't ideal but they actually believed in what they were doing, plus, in a very real sense this was Rachel's last chance for a partnership that _might _actually work, most importantly of all _Quinn _obviously wanted it enough to appeal to him despite the immediate personality clash she had had with Rachel.

"You make a good point Quinn, and a part of me agrees with you one hundred percent not to mention the fact I'm glad you are eager to take this job on despite the obvious differences the two of you have."

The hockey player nodded slightly and pulled her left leg up to rest it on her right knee as she waited patiently for him to reach his conclusion.

"_However_, I am also reluctant to put Rachel in a position where she might end up feeling bad on a regular basis, and you and her have the potential to hurt each other an awful lot more than you are currently aware of."

She couldn't deny that (although she didn't quite get what he meant by the last bit) and that was for certain so instead she nodded again and chewed contemplatively on her lower lip, she wondered if maybe she should just come clean and tell the guy _why _she needed the job and the money, but as nice as he seemed he _was _Rachel's father and she didn't want to give him that information just yet. She scratched the side of her nose and shifted in her seat before speaking.

"It seems to me that Rachel is good at pushing people away, _very _good, in fact I'd go so far as to say that you, your husband and coach Schu are the only ones that she _hasn't _pushed away. That's why she's in this position and while _I _have absolutely no doubt that you love her I'm not so sure _she _feels the same way, maybe it's time to give her what she _needs _and not what she _wants_."

Externally she retained her casual thoughtful demeanour, _inside _however she was sweating buckets and her heart was beating so fast she felt sick. She was taking a risk, yes, but Rachel was…on her mind for some reason, she had been since the _second _she'd walked into the private rink and locked her gaze with the carefully guarded brown one of the diva. But she _also _knew she was right, the diva had had a lifetime of people bowing down to her every wish and this time someone needed the guts to just _tell _the brunette what was going to happen, she just hoped she hadn't taken this whole 'speaking plainly' thing a step too far.

"You may be right…but do you think you two can manage to _not _kill each other, at least until you make it past Olympic selection?"

Grinning in genuine amusement Quinn managed a shrug.

"If not I'll take my burial at sea thanks Mr B."

Leroy barked a laugh out at that and standing from behind the desk walked round and clapped her on the shoulder before offering his hand.

"Welcome to team Berry…well team _Faberry _as I suppose it should now be known!"

She took the guy's hand and shook it enthusiastically, she _would _stick this out, for her mom if for no other reason, plus she had to admit she kinda liked Mr B, and the only guys in her life really were Mike and Dave, neither of whom had the slightest resemblance to a father figure. She loved her moms but she used to be a daddy's girl before…well _that _didn't matter, it would just be nice to have someone she could look to in that capacity. Her mind jolted slightly and locked onto his next words with an eagerness even she didn't know she was capable of.

"Now if only I could figure out a strategy to kill the High Dragon, I could go kick some Templar ass!"

Shrugging Quinn smirked and buffed her nails on her jacket lapel as she spoke.

"Well it just so _happens _that I might know someone standing very close to you that just might have such a strategy."

Adapting a totally serious expression Leroy wrapped an arm around her shoulders steering her towards the gaming chair before the 360.

"Let's take this into my office…"

Rachel was pacing outside her father's office trying to look like she _wasn't _eavesdropping, even though she plainly was. However her fathers learnt early on that their daughter had radar dishes for ears and so most doors in the house were pretty thick and all she could hear was the occasional laugh or hushed voices, well _voice _actually as she could occasionally hear her father but not Quinn…when the hockey player spoke all she could hear was a very dull murmur, she found herself reigning in from stamping her foot in irritation.

Ever since she had seen the blonde face plant as a result of her taking their assigned move just a _bit _too far she had been worried, not _panicked _but definitely worried. Not that Quinn hadn't _deserved _to fall flat on that arrogant face of hers, _I mean the __**nerve **__of her waltzing in and trying to adopt a superior attitude, on __**my **__rink of all places. _Forcing herself to take a deep breath and calm down she closed her eyes and tried to think of a way out of this. If Quinn was going to be her partner then things would have to change, she couldn't work with someone that treated her with such a lack of respect.

Realising the room had fallen silent the brunette leaned closer, after a cautious pause she pressed the shell of her ear to the thick wood door and frowned in concentration. She could hear the hockey player and her slightly husky grumble of a voice but nothing else…until all of a sudden there was laughter directly behind the door and her wide panicked eyes noted the door handle turning. Standing abruptly she turned with the _intention _of getting out of the way as soon as possible, but fate, bad luck or just plain old clumsiness caused her to trip over her own feet. As a consequence when the door opened to reveal a puzzled looking Leroy and an amused looking Quinn she flushed bright red and blurted out the first thing she could think of.

"Earring!"

Leroy blinked at the outburst and Quinn scratched the side of her nose and tried her hardest not to laugh as she watched the little diva get to her feet feigning nonchalance as she dusted her hands off. Tossing her hair over one shoulder she spared a genuine (though slightly ashamed) smile before trying again in a calmer voice.

"I…dropped my earring and was looking for it, I didn't realise you were still in there."

Quinn tried her hardest not to smirk but it was a losing battle as her eyes flicked to the cute ears half hidden behind the dark silky locks _(hold up…cute?) _clearing her throat she pointed to the 'not cute' ears ignoring the mental mix up.

"Except…you have both earrings _in_?"

Rachel's eyes widened and her hands shot up to touch them on instinct, flushing dark red she cleared her throat and then narrowed her eyes. _How dare she question me!_

"Yes…because I found it and put it back in!"

Scratching the side of her nose again to mask a chuckle it was the hockey players turn to clear her throat and she forced a nod knowing she _should _let it go, it was obvious what the brunette had really been doing after all…but that flush that washed over her face was adora…um _laughable, _damn it!

"So…you put your earring back on _while _you were lying on your belly on the floor?"

Folding her arms the brunettes mouth tightened in anger and she revved up for what Leroy saw would be a full on rant, so naturally he thought the best thing to do would be to step in.

"It's probably not the _best _idea honey, someone could have tripped over you if they weren't paying attention, now I should see Quinn to the door at least."

Taking that to mean the hockey player had thankfully flunked her try out and so she allowed her face to relax into a syrupy smile as she took the oddly appealing calloused hand and shook it.

"Of course father, thanks for coming Quinn, _so _sorry it didn't work out."

Although her expression said anything _but_, in fact it was so smug she half expected the brunette to burst into a self congratulatory song and dance routine, which made it all the more satisfying when Leroy started to speak.

"Not so fast there honey, Quinn will be staying with us for a while yet."

He was too busy explaining to Quinn where she would be staying to notice his daughters expression fall from smug to shocked, but the blonde wasn't and she couldn't help the small smile, not because her continued presence was obviously a thorn in the girls side (because that actually kinda sucked and was upsetting in a way she would think about later) but because _anything _that caused her to drop the unattractive smug expression was a good thing. She actually looked really attractive when she allowed herself to stop being such an ass! She locked gazes with the little diva and shoved her hands into her back pockets while Leroy finished giving her directions to the small maisonette she would be living in, she wasn't really listening, just watching and when a silence fell she just blinked, smiled at Leroy and then headed out with a quiet goodbye.

Once she had left, Leroy turned to regard his daughter and some of what Quinn had said to him flooded back to the forefront of his mind. He did love Rachel and the guilt over his continued absence was something that weighed on him greatly. So yes, maybe he _had _over compensated by letting her have everything her way and never denying her, but it was all he had felt able to do in lieu of actually _being _there. Though maybe it was time to start rethinking that, Quinn might be a bit of a 'rebel without a clue', but she was also pretty astute when it came to anyone but herself, something the tall man had picked up on after only _one _conversation with her.

For her part Rachel looked at her father as though he had just stamped on her favourite pair of skates. How could he _do _this to her? Make her skate in some clownish freak show act with that hockey thug. She rummaged internally for just the right words to convey the utter disappointment and disgust she felt for her father, the one man who was _supposed _to protect her. But then he fixed her with _'the look' _and she deflated almost instantly. There were very few times that either of her fathers used this deadly weapon but this was apparently one of those times. Swallowing she looked at him carefully and waited for whatever it was he was going to say her.

"This is it sweetie, _last chance_…you know that as well as I do."

His tone was gentle but also left no room for argument, sighing internally she let her eyes drop to the floor and nodded before half whispering her reply.

"I know daddy."

He felt compelled to comfort her, because she was his daughter and _also _because now she knew that after Quinn there wouldn't be any more partners, competitions or chances for gold. He put his arm round her shoulders and squeezed gently before saying in a sing song voice.

"So, I heard a rumour that somewhere in this house is a young lady who loves Soy Chai lattes and watching old musicals with a handsome yet humble man such as myself."

Grinning despite herself Rachel leaned into her fathers embrace and allowed him to lead her into the den, the most relaxed room of the house, it was about time the two of them caught up on some father daughter bonding time.

Across the way Quinn was looking around the maisonette with Will who was busy chatting away about the schedule they would be working to, Quinn was just worried about the bed and she leapt onto it and jumped up and down a couple of times, winking when Will looked at her askance.

"I gotta test it out don't I? I mean if I'm gonna end up as a big time figure skater I will _undoubtedly _gain a following and I have to make sure I don't let my groupies down."

She waggled her eyebrows which forced a reluctant laugh from the coach before he sighed and sat down gesturing for the blonde hockey player to do the same, frowning slightly.

"That is _not _a happy face coach, _that _is a face that's telling me there's going to be some news coming out of your mouth that I'm not really going to like."

Will nodded and then leant forward on the bed before sighing again.

"Okay, well as you know you've had problems when it comes to going pro or even semi pro thanks to your criminal record. That doesn't mean _anything _to us you gotta know that, first of all Quinn. That wont _ever _be an issue, well at least not with me or Rachel's fathers but if you piss _Rachel _off…"

He trailed off and the blonde just grinned and nodded in agreement.

"Fair enough, I already know that and I think both myself and the Princess have drawn our battle lines pretty clearly. However I think you're also about to bring in the '_but' _part to this conversation?"

Smiling slightly in return he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Yeah, whilst under contract you cant um…_socialise _the same way you used to. It's all about maintaining the image, and Rachel has managed to maintain a spotless one, now you're her partner that same rule applies to you."

Quinn swallowed and tried to take in what he just said, without imploding that is.

"Hold up there Schu, just…let me _clarify _something there, socialise as in, going out, drinking and enjoying alone time with a lady?"

The dark haired coach and his immovable hair nodded in agreement.

"You _have _to be joking, I mean please tell me this is some kind of messed up hazing type joke for the new kid. Because the alternative is that you are _seriously _telling me I have to be celibate for like…so long its making my head hurt!"

Will winced as the hockey players voice went up to a pitch that he was pretty sure it had never hit before.

"Well, yeah I suppose that would be one way of putting it. The thing that you don't understand yet because you haven't seen it in action, is the _way _publicity works. This sport has a certain prestige associated with it and they leap on the tiniest little thing, when they hear your name and start digging they're gonna find out stuff about your past…behaviours."

Quinn blew out a breath and double face palmed as she groaned deep in her throat.

"You have no idea how _much _of a headache this is going to cause me coach! I haven't gone without for like…more than a week since I was _fourteen_!"

Will opened his mouth to say something comforting then paused and raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

"Fourteen, _really _Quinn…fourteen?"

The blonde nodded and shrugged a shoulder.

"Yeah well, I grew up fast but…let's not talk about this, especially as I _wont _be getting any for like, Jesus, months! I hope you know that if the lack of sex turns me into some repressed Christian in a sundress I will smack you down like the hand of God him…_or _herself!"

Despite the desperation and resignation in the blondes tone Will also detected humour and he shook his head with a smile before patting her on the knee and standing.

"Do you need anything else other than what you have with you, I can send someone back with a van to grab anything else you might want?"

Shaking her head Quinn lay down on the bed and breathed out wearily.

"No, it's fine I can ring my brother, he said he would bring me some stuff up if things went well, plus it _would _be nice to see him before we get into training."

"Okay just…settle yourself in and take the rest of the weekend, on Monday morning we get into it. Until then if you got _any _questions come find me, I'm next door to you, also you have full access to the gym, the rink and the pool."

Quinn flashed the thumbs up sign and then let her arm flop back down onto the bed before she fished her cell phone out. On the plus side she had the job and in four months they could make sure that their mom had the operation and if worst came to worst she could bail after that. A part of her _already _knew that she wanted to stay…she just wasn't sure _why_!

The rest of the weekend went by fairly painlessly, Quinn was happy to discover that the pool was huge and complete with a hot tub and steam room, and with careful arranging she and Rachel managed to successfully avoid each other the entire time. Monday would be different of course but for now she knew the little diva was enjoying the time with her father, and _she _was trying to make her peace with celibacy, even if she did grimace every time she thought about it. From an onlookers perspective it seemed as though both Rachel and Quinn had developed a twitch, the brunette every time she heard or thought the words '_hockey player_' and the blonde every time she thought or heard the word '_celibacy'_.

Sunday afternoon Dave pulled up in his old VW van that for now doubled up as his work van. _That _was expected, what _wasn't _expected was for her mom and ma to be in the front with him and for Santana to leap out the back as soon as the van drew to a stop. Quinn panicked slightly and tripped over her own feet as she rushed from the maisonette with a huge though slightly fake smile on her face. She loved her family but she knew Rachel would only have her worst fears about Quinn confirmed when she saw them, and then the blonde would be _forced _to smack her in the face…end of job. She grabbed Santana and pulled her into a tight hug using it as and excuse to whisper harshly.

"Why are you _all _here? I mean it was meant to be just you and Dave!"

Santana raised a dark eyebrow and pulled back to look her sister in the eye warily as she looked around.

"Why is there like some _rule _were breaking or something…because believe it or not Q you're family would kind of like to see you off properly _before _you disappear for God knows how many months, and so we figured we would come here and do it…plus it was another excuse to get mom and ma together again."

Quinn had the grace to look shamefaced at the reminder and she nodded slightly as she disengaged from the hug. Sofia was helping Lily into her chair while Dave started lugging in stuff to the little maisonette. She went over to help him, not purely out of affection, after all if he dropped _Bessie _and lost all her save games…there was a lot of time invested in that little black boxes hard drive! Santana shook her head as she watched her sister carry the games console inside almost reverently, she looked over to her mom's and saw the door of the main house (that she was pretty sure she'd seen on 'lifestyles of the rich and famous') open up and a tall black guy came out along with her sisters new skating partner. Rachel Berry was a lot shorter than she'd imagined. The tall guy almost bounded over and smiled widely at them all in his enthusiasm.

"Hey, _you _must be Quinn's family, she's only been here a couple days but she talks about you guys a lot! Oh, where are my manners…my name is Leroy, I'm Rachel's father."

Rachel smiled and half raised a hand in a wave, the Latina smirked at the hesitant gesture and nodded to herself. Yep she _definitely _saw Q's bad side! Clearing her throat she stepped forward and shook his hand.

"Pleased to meet you, I'm Santana Lopez, the big guy is our brother Dave and these are our mom and ma."

She gestured to each of them in turn and they smiled and shook his hand in greeting, Rachel was gracious but still had the wary look on her face, Santana couldn't help but chuckle and the diminutive brunette looked over at her askance, clearing her throat the Latina smiled kindly.

"I'm taking it by the look on your face that you and Fabray didn't _exactly _get off on the right foot?"

Rachel's eyes widened in panic before she shifted awkwardly and opened her mouth trying to smile reassuringly but Sofia just nudged Santana then turned to the poor flustered diva.

"Sorry about her, she tends to speak without thinking, but you do have that slightly worried look that everyone has when the first member of the family they meet is Quinn, I promise we aren't all as…_guarded _as her. we're working on it and she's better than she was. believe it or not!"

Rachel still looked unsure until the Latina flung an arm round her shoulders companionably and grinned down at her.

"Basically don't judge us by Quinn and we'll do you the same favour."

She winked and Rachel couldn't help but relax and laugh lightly at that, she held a hand up and nodded an acceptance.

"I believe we can agree to those terms…not that she's bad! I mean you raised her well and all I wouldn't want you to think I was criticising your parenting skills."

It was Lily's turn to wave a hand vaguely and smile.

"It's fine kiddo, Quinn can be hard to get to know but she has a heart of gold hidden under all the layers of armour. Just takes a lot to break through that's all."

The tone was light but the words held a certain weight that Rachel actually physically felt…right up until Quinn came bolting out of the house with Dave on her heels, as they watched he picked the athletic girl up easily and hefted her over his shoulder before walking towards them with a grin.

"Well she's all moved in, but she wont let me arrange things because apparently I don't do it 'neatly enough' for her so that's all on her."

Spotting Rachel and Leroy he offered his hand politely to the latter and actually bowed slightly to the former. Rachel could tell straight away he was gay but his manners had her falling in love with him nonetheless and she bit her lower lip lightly and smiled.

"Are you _sure _you grew up with Quinn?"

Dave laughed as he heard the blondes inelegant snort followed by muttering, he paused and twisted his head back and down to look over his shoulder.

"Behave yourself or I'll let Santana loose on you, and you _wouldn't _want us to reveal your weak spot to your new skating partner…would you?"

Quinn rolled her eyes while he and Santana grinned…and although she knew she _probably _shouldn't, Rachel asked anyway.

"This weak spot, I mean I wouldn't use it for just _anything _you know but it might be useful just in case she get's out of hand, I mean if it were to interfere with our practice sessions…"

Dave looked to Quinn who managed to look indignant even while upside down in a Fireman's lift, Santana however smirked and pulling her new friend Rachel along with her merely winked at the fuming hockey player and then turned to Rachel.

"Observe closely young Padawan."

So saying she started reaching for a now wriggling Quinn who was glaring daggers at her sister, in the background her mom's and Leroy were chatting amiably and realising they had a lot in common apart from their family situation, however they paused to watch fondly as Quinn found herself wondering if God hated her. Santana lightly poked her in the side just above the hip and she giggled in a high pitched way while trying to move away from the Latina's crafty digits.

"No fair Lopez…quit it…stop…c'mon, please!…I hate you…seriously stop…I need to pee…quit it!"

Santana just smirked as she watched her sister squirm and bite off sentences between giggles that started out annoyed and ended up just begging. Eventually she stopped and Dave let Quinn down so she could go and relieve herself. The Latina turned to Rachel and grinned.

"And _that's _how we control her when she turns into a brat!"

Rachel couldn't help it, she roared with laughter at that and when Quinn came out of the house again she couldn't help the sulky scowl she was sporting, a scowl which _soon _disappeared when Sofia produced a Twinkie from her jacket pocket, Quinn grinned, snagged it and wandered up to stand next to Rachel, choosing to ignore Lily's protest that is wouldn't help her cholesterol levels any. Pulling up next to the little diva Quinn raised a questioning eyebrow and proffered half the treat (unaware that as one her family looked at her in shock for the gesture), Rachel scrunched her nose up.

"You do _realise _that contains more sugar, fat and e numbers than is good for you don't you?"

Quinn just rolled her eyes and smirked before taking a bite and chewing happily before replying.

"I know, _that's _what makes it taste so good, haven't you worked out yet that _anything _enjoyable is bad for you Rach?"

The brunette rolled her eyes at that but there was a reddish tinge to her cheeks and she couldn't help but watch the way the blonde ate the cream filled cake, she _should _find it disgusting the way that, after biting the top of the cake off, she used her forefinger to slowly and carefully scoop out the cream and lick it off her finger. It was disgusting but it was _also_…disturbingly compelling, in a way that made her feel a bit hot and uncomfortable, still she couldn't take her eyes off the sight unaware that two pairs of eyes were watching the two skaters with interest. Dave turned to Santana and raised an eyebrow.

"She just offered her _half _her Twinkie, Quinn _never _lets anyone share her goodies…even us. This is…new."

Santana looked thoughtful and leant on her brothers side placing her chin on his shoulder with a slight smile.

"Maybe this will be good for Quinn in _more _ways than one."

Oblivious of the unintentionally erotically charged sight their foster daughter was putting on for her siblings, Lily and Sofia were engaged in a heated conversation with Leroy over vegetarianism (as Sofia was one) and veganism. There was no doubt that the women would be flown out to watch their daughter perform however, Leroy _insisted _on it, almost as vehemently as he insisted on getting Sofia's recipe for butternut squash risotto. Inevitably the two families found themselves sharing a late dinner together. During that two hours Rachel learnt that Quinn would eat anything that was blue, always separated M&M's into colour groups before eating, liked cinnamon just a bit too much, preferred tea to coffee and was obsessed with comic books and superhero movies. Quinn learnt that Rachel was _mostly _vegan but couldn't resist dairy ice cream…if it came from free range happy cows of course, loved Saturday morning cartoons and Sunday afternoon adventure films, was scared of small spaces, had never tasted alcohol and harboured a secret desire to ice skate nude.

Rachel also fell a little bit more in love with Dave, finding him to be the perfect gentleman, she also grew more and more fond of Santana, _despite _her wicked sense of humour and dry wit she obviously cared deeply for her family and though she joked about Quinn, Rachel could tell she was also highly protective of the blonde for some reason. She _wanted _to ask but sensed that it wasn't the right time, and maybe not even the right person, it was like Santana _wanted _her to know but also to recognise that she should ask Quinn about it rather than her. She acknowledged it with a very slight nod and the Latina winked in return. Quinn was a totally different person that night with her family around her, it was like she was more honest, more open and this Quinn…_this _Quinn, she rather liked.

The next morning, Rachel woke early as usual, she liked to run just before the sun rose for the simple reason that by the time she reached the halfway mark of her run she would be on the bluff overlooking the road into town and it was the perfect place to stop for a moment, rest and watch the sun come up. Then head home and be back just as breakfast was being started. She let herself out of the main door and started stretching, surprised to see the blonde hockey player sat on the doorsteps of her maisonette clutching a mug of something and also wearing running clothes. After finishing her warm up she jogged down the main pathway and paused raising a speculative eyebrow at the blonde.

"You look like you didn't sleep."

The blonde looked over the brim of her steaming mug of tea and shrugged slightly as she blew some of the mist off of the beverage.

"I closed my eyes and then opened them after a couple of hours, that counts. Besides I never _have _slept well, so I got up, got dressed with the intention of going for a run before realising that I actually had no idea if there _were _any trails or how long they were. I figured you'd be pretty pissed if I got lost in the woods on my first day."

Rachel found herself fighting the urge to smile, instead she sighed slightly and picked up on the _one _thing wrong with that sentence.

"I would be annoyed yes, but can we avoid the use of profanities please Quinn, especially when there are so many other useful adjectives one can use in place of the crass words."

A slender blond eyebrow rose in reply and she blew more steam from the top of her tea before she took a slow sip. The brunette rolled her eyes finding herself irritated again already after only a two minute conversation! She almost demanded to see last nights Quinn again instead of this one, instead she bit her lip and forced herself to be polite.

"Just…you can come with me _if _you wish, I run a regular trail that isn't too hard for a beginner but you'll have to get ready fast."

Gritting her teeth, Quinn methodically swallowed the rest of the tea, set the cup aside and gestured to the LVPD T-Shirt and sweat pants she had on.

"Ready when you are Princess."

Taking in a slow breath at the insolent drawl in the blondes voice Rachel just tightened the ponytail securing her hair back and started leading the way at a brisk pace. It irritated her no end that Quinn could keep up without effort, with all the crap she ate and drank (I mean who eats _blue _food for goodness sakes!) she should be down and out after a few hundred yards, _not _looking as though she was barely breaking a sweat and smirking that bloody arrogant smirk of hers. Maybe she should just trip her and pretend she couldn't hear her while she pulled ahead and left her on the trail. Then of course she remembered the Quinn from last night, the one who was polite, thoughtful, funny and shy. Why oh _why _couldn't she be running with _that _Quinn Fabray!

She was so busy thinking of ways to trip the blonde or leave her behind that she didn't even realise they were approaching the halfway point already. In an effort to compete with the hockey player she had been pushing herself into a faster swifter pace and hadn't even realised. _Internally _she was happy and impressed with herself, _externally _she scowled at Quinn as she started to slow now she had the bluff in view. As they got closer she slowed to a jog and then a walk before heading out to the cluster of boulder sized rocks by the viewing point, it was a little early so they still had a few minutes. Rachel took a few swallows of water and stretched, the blonde just looked at her expectantly.

"Why _exactly _have we stopped, you're not tired are you, cos that was only like, a couple of miles?"

Scowling in the blondes direction Rachel took another swallow of water and answered reluctantly.

"No, I'm _not _tired, I happen to like the view here when the sun rises, as it is due to do any moment _now_. As you have ruined my pace and timing already this morning with your freakishly long legs could you please grant me the very great favour of just maintaining silence until the spectacle is over, then we can return!"

Quinn growled silently and rolled her eyes, why the Hell was this woman so damn infuriating! Last night she had been perfectly pleasant, she'd treated her mom's and Santana with respect, and she'd practically fawned over Dave, in fact if she hadn't known that Dave was as _gay _as she was she would have felt a thread of jealousy at the moon eyes Rachel made at him. _Whoa back up_…not _jealous_, she wouldn't have been _jealous _as she had no reason to be, she would have just been irritated that Dave might possibly have perhaps made a stupid mistake by getting involved with someone as vain and superficial as Rachel Berry…yeah _that _was it, _that's _what she would have felt, and she found herself biting off the next few words.

"_Most _people would just say 'shut up, I want to see the sunrise' why do you have to take fifty words to say what a _normal _person can say in five!"

Planting her hands on her hips angrily the brunette spun on the heel of her designer sneakers and found herself eye to eye and almost toe to toe with the aggravated hockey player as she spat her own words out.

"I apologise if I have an extensive vocabulary that your pea sized brain cannot comprehend, _perhaps _if you read a few books instead of just comics you _might _be able to keep up with an adult conversation."

Quinn folded her arms and leant back slightly levelling a cold stare at the diva.

"Or here's a _better _idea, you could step off of that fucking pedestal you seem to have put yourself on and deign to mix amongst us mere mortals. Maybe then you would realise your just a regular spoilt brat and _not _in actuality the queen of fucking everything."

Rachel snorted and tilted her head to the side adopting a bitter tone that really didn't suit her.

"What a surprise, the hockey playing criminal cant make her point _without _resulting to vulgarities!"

Narrowing hazel eyes the blonde mock bowed.

"Oh dear has her royal majesty had to deal with a word that _might _have a bit of passion behind it? Heaven forbid someone show emotion around the ice Queen after all!"

Ignoring the very visible but very fleeting look of pain in the brown eyes, Quinn swallowed slightly and waited for the next verbal tirade from the little diva, and she didn't have to wait long before the full pouting lips in front of her parted to do just that. Instead a sudden beam of orange light crept up over the horizon and drew their attention. Even the angry duo couldn't compete with the raw beauty of nature and a strange peaceful silence fell over the two of them as they turned to observe the sun waking up the sleepy forest that surrounded the Berry's land. As they stood side by side, the little finger on Quinn's right hand brushed against the little finger of Rachel's left, both felt it and neither one moved, instead they felt a strange comfort in the light skin contact and so kept their fingers exactly where they were.

Quinn kept her gaze on the spectacular view in front of her, but she couldn't quite quell the curiosity within her and glanced sideways. What she saw almost took her breath away, Rachel was smiling ever so faintly, her face and neck had a thin sheen of sweat that was reflecting the early orange rays of the sun. her hair was held back from her face in that severe ponytail but despite this, several strands had escaped and were blowing across her cheeks in the gentle breeze. The hockey player swallowed her unknown emotions back down and couldn't help but mutter.

"Beautiful…"

Rachel glanced sideways at the husky word but the blondes hazel eyes were fixed on the rising sun. her short hair was falling in unruly waves across her face and the diva couldn't help but notice how the orange of the sun bounced off of the blonde locks. Quinn was chewing her lower lip in thought, something the brunette had realised she did a lot, especially when she thought no one would notice. The short sleeved T-Shirt was clinging to her with the sweat caused by their competitive run up here. The muscles of her biceps and abdomen were visible as the dark blue material really _did _leave little to the imagination, despite what she had said at the initial try out, she _could _see that Quinn Fabray was definitely all woman, she found herself wanting to fidget as she felt that odd warm feeling again, she surprised herself when she heard herself say.

"Yeah…beautiful."

She quickly switched her gaze back to the sunrise and they stood side by side fingers touching with a warmth neither wanted to acknowledge. When the sun was finally up Rachel started the run again and Quinn followed her down the trail, neither of them spoke or even argued as both had thoughts rolling through their heads that they weren't ready to face yet.

_Ooh things are hotting up! They're just a bit stupid when it comes to love, Rachel because she confuses love and passion with safety and comfort. Quinn because she see's sex as separate to love and wants no part in love, needless to say both of them will need very different advice from very different people. Next chapter their training and competitive spirit get's even hotter and things look to be going well until Finn shows up for the bank holiday weekend. Hmm first kiss situation maybe…or maybe not plus it may not go so well, at least not at first…love and hugs as always you beautiful people you xxx_


	4. Chapter 4

_Hurrah another chapter! And for those of you who are worried, as I can see a lot of you are lol Finn will not be around much, but there has to be safety net for Rachel to use as she slowly comes to the conclusion that while she may love him she isn't IN love with him and a marriage between them would just be settling. I haven't made my mind up whether he is a dick about it or not, I feel bad because I hate the character in the show so much and yet Cory is such a nice guy, I wonder if this is like being schizophrenic? However, after the first episode of series 3 I am not feeling confident about the direction of the new series, looks to me like it's destined to be the Finchel and Klaine show, time will tell, in the meantime I shall continue playing in my own little sandpit and you guys get to see what I build lol love you! xxx_

Training was hard, it involved a hell of a lot more than ice hockey ever did and Quinn thanked all her lucky stars that she was _already _into keeping her body in shape otherwise the schedule just might have killed her. The weights work she expected and was nothing new, same with the runs, which became part of their morning routine, it was weird, they would meet every morning, run, head to the pool to do laps, then shower before heading to the rink, _all _without saying a single word. Rachel would have her inner ear headphones in while Quinn would put the noise cancelling ones on that she had sold her PS3 to buy (Not that it was much of a loss really, the _only _exclusive game she enjoyed was _Hard Rain_).

In the afternoons Will would have them out on the rink perfecting their solo moves and learning to move together at the same speed. He was amazed at how smooth they both were, _well; _up to an extent anyway, he was still having trouble getting them to _actually _work as partners but he had now had enough and was going to get them to perfect at least _one _pairs move or die trying. Currently they were in the weights room which was attached to the rink, Rachel on the dumbbells and Quinn bench pressing, the blonde was sweating but working steadily, if there was one thing all this celibacy (only a slight grimace today, progress!) was doing for her, it was making her fitter and stronger than she had ever been because all the sexual frustration was being channelled into her weights work. Rachel was watching without actually making it obvious, she had to check that her partner had the strength to lift her all, smirking the blonde caught her at it and raised an eyebrow.

"Take a picture already, I don't mind it would give you something to make you feel warm at night."

The brunette scowled and snapped her eyes back to the mirrored wall as she continued to flex and curl as she went through her reps.

"_Believe _me, the only thing a picture of _you _would be good for is if I needed to empty my stomach in a rapid manner."

To Rachel's complete annoyance Quinn just laughed, seemingly remaining un phased by the ferocity of her workout whereas she herself was starting to tire.

"Now you _know _that isn't true Princess, I've seen you falling back when we run just so you can get a little peek at my ass."

Rachel flushed a dark red at the position she had talked herself into. If she _denied _it then she was admitting that the blonde was faster and fitter than her which she would never willingly admit to, or if she _agreed _then she was confessing to doing just what she was accused of…which _so _wasn't true…at least not consciously.

"You have a _very _high opinion of yourself, you do realise that don't you? And believe me when I say arrogance is _not _an attractive look."

Setting the bar into the rest above her, Quinn sat up and wiped the back of her neck and then her chest with a towel before raising her eyebrow at the diva and smirking.

"Sounds to _me _like you're protesting just a little bit too much there your highness. It's okay to admit you want a bit of experience for your first time, I can handle that _and _break you in gently."

Rachel patiently counted out the end of her five hundred reps and set the dumbbell down before fixing frustrated brown eyes with cocky hazel ones.

"Why do you _have _to do this? _Why _do you feel the need to act like such an _ass_! There's no need for it, you have the job and I get it okay, you're all tough and shit but guess what…you're also a _jerk_!"

Flinching slightly at the tone and not knowing why, Quinn decided to fall back on anger as it was what she knew best, and she hated that the little diva was acting like she was projecting an image.

"I'm not _doing _anything Princess, this is _me _okay! And guess what! I don't _care _if you think I'm a jerk, because at least I'm not some frigid little bitch whose parents don't even want to be around her!"

As soon as the words left her mouth she wanted to take them back, there hadn't been any need for that and yet again she cursed her own stupid instincts that were ingrained to the point they reared up without conscious thought. However she wasn't the _only _one who acted on instinct which is why she barely had time to register the little diva stalking towards before she felt the impact of a deceptively strong hand slap across her face hard.

For a moment they both stood their in shock.

Rachel, because she didn't have any idea she had _that _much passion inside her! Quinn because she couldn't _believe _what had just happened, to the point she frowned in confusion and flexing her jaw touched a hand to her cheek just to double check she hadn't dreamt it. When she looked back up and saw the tears gathering in the corners of Rachel's eyes she swallowed and opened her mouth to apologise but when the brunette flinched at what words might come out she felt an altogether different pain in her chest and taking a step back she spoke quietly.

"I…that was out of order, I'm _sorry_…I guess I deserved that."

Rachel swallowed her own anger and also, surprisingly, _guilt_, she hated to think she was capable of hurting someone but the flash of pain in the blondes eyes had been sobering…though _not _as sobering as the very blank expression that had fallen afterwards and she let a long breath out through her nose before closing her own eyes.

"No…well, maybe, but…not, not from _me, _I didn't want to be the type of person capable of that, I apologise for hitting you, I shall control myself very carefully in future."

It was bad enough that she had said what she had, but there was no _way _she could let the brunette take the blame for it because both of them had just lost their temper, and as usual Quinn's impulse to strike first had been just a little _too _accurate…which is why she possibly said what she said next, the urge to let the brunette know that she really hadn't done anything wrong made her lean towards honesty as she spoke.

"I'm sorry too, this whole celibacy thing is _killing _me and when I get frustrated I lash out, okay, so we have our differences but _I _made it personal…and for that I apologise."

Rachel raised an eyebrow.

"_You're _staying celibate? isn't that like against your religion or something?"

Quinn actually laughed and nodded slightly at that as she moved over to the dumbbells and Rachel in turn headed over to the rowing machine.

"Well, yeah, something like that…I have to so I don't embarrass _you _apparently, cos you have a good reputation and I might sully it."

The hockey player made light of it but Rachel could detect a certain _note _behind it…she wasn't sure what it was exactly, it almost sounded like shame but from what she had seen so far Quinn wasn't _capable _of feeling shame, nevertheless the brunette felt slightly bad and decided to lighten the tone, after all they were headed onto the ice in a moment and she wanted them to be able to hold each other (in a sporting way, not…any other type of holding) so she half smiled.

"For the record I do _not _stare at your ass when you're running Gretzky, I simply hope that if there are any bears about then they get _you _first!"

Quinn barked a sharp laugh of genuine amusement and shook her head slightly.

"I can take on a bear _any day_, you just want me to beat one up for you and prove I'm a hero, I can understand that, I mean I _am _going to be the lead skater after all."

The brunette spluttered at that and started listing every reason why that was most certainly _not _true and that just because the hockey player would essentially be taking on the male role in their partnership it did not mean she was taking on the _lead _role. Smiling internally Quinn congratulated herself on successfully deflecting the brunette from the thoughtless words she'd yelled out earlier. Not that she _liked _her…it was just that some things were beyond bantering and _that _had been, this however, the ranting and rambling about why Rachel was the far superior figure skater, Quinn could tune that out and let it flow over her, it was actually slightly comforting in an odd way that she tried very hard not to think too much about. Rachel was mid rant when Will came in and smiled slightly.

"Okay you two, hit the steam room for half an hour, then meet me on the ice."

He disappeared as abruptly as he appeared and Quinn raised her head to look at Rachel and then deliberately wiggled her eyebrows and smirked.

"You ready to get all hot and sweaty with me Princess?"

A sweat drenched towel smacked her in the face with a dull thud and when she heard Rachel's parting shot and couldn't help laughing.

"In your dreams Gretzky!"

After a steam to relax them and then some basic exercises on the ice to get them keyed up again they were ready for Will and whatever he had planned for them that afternoon.

"Okay, your physical fitness levels are _great_, Quinn, excellent job on nailing the tricks you need for your solo moves _but_…this is _pairs _skating and now you both have the ability to skate well separately we have to get you moving in tandem, now admittedly last time we tried it _didn't _go so well."

He trailed off and levelled a mildly warning expression towards Rachel who had the good grace to look chastised for all of three seconds before smirking at the memory of Quinn's face plant, for her part the hockey player just rolled her eyes.

"It's not _my _fault she's more used to hockey skates than figure skates. Perhaps if she dedicated a bit of time to getting used to _how _they work instead of reading comics and watching adult movies then she _would _be able to master the toe pick."

Quinn scowled and actually had no retort for that, as much as she had learnt recently she _still _hadn't quite mastered the toe pick and had been drawing to natural stops instead of practicing, she was jolted out of her musings when she realised they were both looking expectantly.

"I'll get it okay! Can we just get _on _with this already?"

Rachel smiled smugly and Quinn resisted the urge to pinch her ass just to make her jump, instead she stuck her hands into her sweat pant pockets and skated over to the start point Will had given them.

"Okay now…same move as before, Quinn _your _hand should be on Rachel's waist and when she turns you take her hand, okay, then you _both _come to a stop the way I showed you."

Getting into place behind Rachel and placing her hand in it's new favourite spot she let out a breath and glowered when Rachel muttered.

"Do you think I could possibly encourage you to wear a _less _noxious cologne from now on, the stench is very distracting."

Keeping her voice low and angling her mouth so Will wouldn't see they were still arguing, she growled back.

"Only if _you _agree to drop a couple of pounds from your ample ass so it's _also _less distracting."

She smirked when she could feel the slight frame under her hand stiffen slightly with indignation. Abruptly Rachel kicked off and Quinn had to scramble to move away with her, inordinately happy when she not _only _kept pace with the little diva but kept in perfect synchronisation with her as well, _step for step_. Her confidence didn't last however, and as Rachel turned into the next move the hockey player felt a sickening sense of déjà vu as she ended up face down on the ice again. _That _was bad enough but what she _really _didn't need was Rachel skating smoothly past her and smiling pleasantly to say.

"_Toe pick_, Gretzky, _toe pick_!"

Growling to herself Quinn got back up and tried the move again…only to become reacquainted with the ice abruptly, the _third _time it happened she was determined it wouldn't happen again, the _fourth _time she would be happy to just not trip even if she couldn't complete the move, the _fifth _time she lifted and repeatedly let her head hit the ice in frustration. It wouldn't have been so bad if it weren't for _Rachel_! Every time she face planted onto the ice and ended up skidding towards the wall, the little brunette would skate past with her trademark smirk before pleasantly saying or in the last case singing.

"Toooooooooeeeee !"

Will was growing more and more despondent, not _just _because Quinn was having trouble mastering the skates and their stopping power, but _also _because instead of encouraging the blonde to work harder Rachel was making a point of mocking her for being unable to do so. Sighing the coach shook his head and wiped both hands down his face wearily.

"Okay…you guys take a break for a couple of hours, I'm going to go see if I have some training sheets that can help you out Quinn."

He went out towards his maisonette and Rachel skated smoothly over to her comfort corner to sink into the armchair, still smirking to herself as she reached for her book and cracked it open. Quinn sat on the ice for a moment breathing through her nose and trying to calm her temper down, she _knew _that this was going to be a tough transition but the fact that it was such a _stupid _thing standing in her way right now was frustrating as much as it was upsetting. However, now they had an hour or two and it was time for her to kick back and relax. Smiling happily she decided to remind herself of _why _Will had spotted her in the first place and heading over to the comfort corner where her bag was stashed she sat down to swap her figure skates for well worn hockey skates.

Rachel was watching, but yet, _not _watching at the same time, something she was getting very good at when around the hockey player (only a small grimace that time) she lifted her eyes subtly from the printed adventures of Holmes and Watson and observed as Quinn expertly laced on her hockey skates then picked up one of the bat _thingies _that the game required and a puck. When the blonde looked up Rachel's eyes shot back to her book and she very, _very _consciously tried to control the flush at nearly being caught. Unsuccessfully however and the blonde smirked as she smoothly stood and skated onto the ice.

Quinn loved the fact that she had a whole rink to herself to practice! And her enthusiasm was palpable enough to even get the brunettes attention. Skating out onto the ice Quinn started running her own commentary as she agilely and swiftly skated around the ice controlling the puck expertly with her stick and pulling off moves that even Rachel had to admit were smooth, in _fact, _there was a lot about the hockey player (almost nonexistent that time) that she found herself admiring, or at least approving of, that she hadn't expected. Admittedly her inability to master the toe pick _was _amusing to the brunette and would provide hours of entertainment for her whenever Quinn became unbearably cocky _but_…she was fast, graceful, athletic and that cologne was…well, she told the truth when she said it was distracting but it was distracting in an annoyingly _pleasant _way.

And _that _was the problem of course, she was comfortable in her life and was happy with that, she had a pleasant fiancée, a good career (hopefully) and a lovely family life even if her fathers _weren't _home as much as she wished they were. So this stupid blonde cocky irritation that had now entered her life should _not _be on her mind as much as she was! Yes, she was _bound _to be a consideration because they were going to be working and spending more time together than she ever had with anyone else, but the feeling she was invoking in the little diva were not the type of feelings she had ever anticipated having to deal with…to be honest she wasn't even sure they _existed _until Quinn walked onto her rink.

Sighing the diva frowned and _tried _to concentrate on the machinations of Moriarty but it was hard, _very _hard when in her periphery all she could see was Quinn zipping around the ice rink nimbly and occasionally shooting the puck between their bundled sweaters she was using as a goal, every time it slid expertly into the improvised goal she held the stick up and cheered herself. When she finally skated back to the edge of the rink to re tape the handle of her stick Rachel wasn't sure if she was relieved or disappointed, so instead she just snapped irritably.

"Do you _have _to make so much noise in our _supposed _peaceful time! And I would appreciate it if you wouldn't leave your things lying all around this corner. It's _meant _to be a place of peace and rest but you're completely messing it up!"

Rolling her eyes Quinn mimicked Rachel in a high pitched muttering as she gathered up the scattered belongings that were apparently _everywhere _(basically a roll of tape and her spare puck had rolled out of her duffel bag). She started to peel off the tattered tape on the handle of her hockey stick to replace it with fresh and smirked over at Rachel with a head shake.

"You _really _need to learn how to relax Princess, I mean here we are in a private rink and _I'm _burning off energy while _you _are just getting more and more uptight! Just…_unclench_, I'm pretty sure it wont kill you!"

Setting her book to one side, Rachel narrowed her eyes.

"I will have you know that I am _perfectly _capable of relaxing, I just find it hard when there's a Neanderthal mouth breathing in my ear."

Annoyingly Quinn just laughed and looked up from where she was wrapping the neon yellow tape around the stick's handle.

"_Really _and what do you _do _to relax you exactly? Stick pins in voodoo dolls maybe? Watch serial killer films to pick up some valuable tips?"

Glaring back, Rachel straightened her blanket over her legs before speaking.

"I'm sure there's nothing I do that could compare intellectually with _your _past times, I don't compare scars, or get involved in bar brawls, and I _don't _see how many skanks I can bed before I catch something."

The glare only got worse when Quinn's unconcerned response was a slight chuckle.

"Wow, okay _so _many things wrong with _that _picture, but for the record, I have never compared my scars, the only bar brawls were really _not _my fault and I don't sleep with skanks, just women who enjoy sex…which I _know _is a foreign concept for you."

Sitting up in indignation the brunette tucked her flyaway strands of hair behind her ear.

"How _dare _you…I…_just _because some of us happen to think that the physical act of lovemaking is something that should be treated properly _doesn't _mean it is a foreign concept, I just think its appropriate to wait till marriage."

The blondes jaw dropped and she stared in mild shock at the diva for a moment then shook her head and tried not to smirk too widely.

"Okay…_that _explains a lot!"

Rachel just scowled back at her and went to pick her book back up, Quinn, sensing she had touched on a sensitive subject yet _again _(she was gonna have to stop doing that sometime) and realising they had still had a whole afternoon in which they were meant to be working together, sighed.

"Sorry…my bad, so what _do _you do for fun?"

Looking cautiously at the hockey player (grimace masked that time with her cautious look) Rachel lay the book back down and deciding that nothing more than curiosity was behind the question she answered.

"I like to read, always have done really, mysteries are my favourites but I do like the classics as well, do _you _read?"

Now it was the blondes turn to assess if there was anything other than genuine curiosity behind the statement, deciding that it was just that she shrugged and answered.

"I'm not a big reader no, obviously I like graphic novels but…I read a few textbook type things apart from that."

Hoping in vain that she wouldn't ask what type of textbooks, Quinn internally sighed when Rachel indeed asked the inevitable follow up question.

"Oh, what subjects interest you?"

Quinn didn't _really _want to answer that for two reasons, firstly, her ability with figures and equations was sort of embarrassing and secondly she was _fairly _sure that the diva would think she was taking the piss with her answer. Either way she figured she had nothing to lose so she answered honestly.

"Quantum theory, wormhole physics…that sort of thing, space and the cosmos, that stuff has always interested me."

Frowning Rachel peered closely to try and detect if her leg was being pulled and was pleasantly surprised when she saw nothing but open honesty tinged with maybe a little bit of reluctance. Maybe there _was _more to Quinn than the blonde would have others believe.

"Oh…I see, well…that's pretty heavy stuff to relax to you know. I do have a question though, if you don't mind."

Surprised that she was being asked for permission Quinn raised an eyebrow and indicated with her hand that it was fine. Rachel sat back in her chair and rested her chin on her hand.

"If you're…interested in stuff like that why aren't you in a research programme or a lab somewhere, I mean I _know _you love hockey and skating but that's a highly specialised field crying out for new experts, what college did you attend?"

Quinn frowned and concentrated on the neon yellow tape she was wrapping round the grip of the hockey stick, keeping her tone neutral and disinterested she gave a shrug.

"I didn't, I was offered a scholarship to M.I.T but things happened that made me ineligible, and after mom's accident we all decided to stay close to home."

Rachel's eyes widened at that, not only was that a _good _college it was one of the _best _and she wondered what had happened to prevent the blonde attending. Quinn could tell that the little diva wanted to ask and so she set the tape down and looked up at her, the brunette flushed and the hockey player half smiled before answering the unasked question.

"I was all set to, go then I _stupidly _decided to have a weekend away in Vegas to celebrate, the thing is, and even the _judge _didn't believe me so I don't suppose you will, but, yeah, I was card counting, I wasn't doing it _consciously _it's just that when my brain see's numbers it calculates, its automatic, and as you know, the casino figured it out and after having me 'taken care of' they had me arrested and I ended up in jail instead of at college, needless to say M.I.T weren't interested when I got out."

She shrugged making light of it but she had in fact felt devastated at the time, it was however, pointless as there was nothing she could do about the past. Expecting a sarcastic comment she was surprised when a gentle hand fell onto her forearm.

"I'm sorry Quinn, and I promise not to mock your intelligence anymore…though your inability to use the toe pick correctly _is _still fair game."

Letting out a relieved laugh at the half apology half insult, Quinn just shook her head and picked the hockey stick back up to finish wrapping the grip tape round the handle.

"Sounds fair to me, I'll stop making comments about your ass…cos I guess if I was _forced _to admit it, I could say it was pretty much perfect. But I'm _so _gonna rip it outta you for being a virgin."

Rachel rolled her eyes and shoved good naturedly at the broad shoulder of the hockey player before she sat back in her chair, the blonde rubbed her shoulder and raised an impressed eyebrow.

"Quite the hidden strength you have there Princess, one day you might even be able to play a _real _sport like hockey."

Closing the book and raising her eyebrow with a sly smile that sent a shiver down Quinn's spine, Rachel crossed her arms and leant forward.

"Oh _anytime _you want to test my sporting prowess Gretzky…bring it _on_!"

Grinning widely Quinn stood and grabbing her back up stick and gloves from the duffel on the floor she threw them to the diva who caught them expertly.

"Come on then your highness, show me what you're working with."

Skating back out onto the ice Quinn swiftly set up an opposing goal and then picked the puck up, once Rachel had managed to slide the gloves on she hefted the hockey stick in her free hand and pushed herself smoothly out onto the ice to come to a stop in front of the blonde who grinned.

"Easy version of the game, _you _head for the goal behind me, _I _head for the one behind you, first one to ten goals wins, game starts as soon as the puck hit's the ice, any questions."

Rachel smiled sweetly as she readied her stick.

"Just the one, how would you like your humble pie served, plain or with a little cream of shame?"

The hockey player just winked and holding out the puck dropped it onto the ice, Rachel watched the piece of black rubber drop to the rink and wondered about the best way to approach the goal…which turned out to be pointless as in the blink of an eye Quinn had snagged the puck and was gliding leisurely to the goal on the diva's side. Scowling the brunette moved to try and intercept but could do nothing as the puck slid annoyingly casually into and past her goal, Quinn smirked.

"Gotta be faster than _that _cupcake!"

Scowling deeply the little diva decided that the first goal scored by the hockey player (cue, grimace) would be the last _one _she allowed through her goal! Unfortunately no one thought to tell _Quinn _that and she continued to slide the puck past the posts an annoying number of times. Rachel was getting more and more frustrated with every goal scored and to her chagrin the blonde was enjoying it immensely, after the fifth goal the blonde allowed the brunette to get control of the puck for all of a minute before she easily snagged it out from under her nose whilst skating backwards checking her. Quinn quirked an eyebrow and with a smirk turned easily and dodging around Rachel as though it was second nature scored another goal. She laughed out loud at the expression on the little divas face and retrieving the puck slid it over to Rachel and smirked.

"Tell you what, take a free penalty shot, come on…see if you can put enough power behind it to stop _me _from saving it."

Rachel's eyes narrowed, _show her huh?_ oh she would _show her _alright because that smug look on the blondes face was simply insufferable! Letting out a breath to calm herself she ignored Quinn as best as she could and settled herself with the edge of the stick by the puck, after a moment she pulled back and decided to put as much power behind the impact as she would behind a golf drive.

_That _turned out to be a mistake as she found herself automatically falling into her golf stance and as a direct consequences the stick did _indeed _impact the puck with sufficient force, however as it was a _golf _hit the puck promptly lifted off the rink and into the air in a graceful arc…an arc which ended when the puck impacted with the hockey players already broken noise. There was a crunch and Quinn dropped like a stone, Rachel gasped and put both hands to her face, eyes wide as she looked up to see the door opening and Will walking back in. he looked over with confusion and the diva squeaked out.

"Will…I think I _broke _Quinn!"

Dave frowned slightly as he watched Santana check her makeup in her compact for the fifth time in the twenty five minute journey to the whole foods store they shopped at.

"Okay, I don't mean to sound too _gay _here, but you look fabulous as usual San, what's with all the primping and preening. It's not _like _you and it's scaring me a little bit."

Looking uncharacteristically nervous the Latina turned to her brother and sighing waved a hand around her vaguely and tried to make light of her nerves.

"It's nothing, I mean there's no _reason _why there would be anything wrong. Like you said we're just going shopping…in the whole foods store…where _she _works…and I look _fine _and this is, this is all _fine_."

Frowning, Dave shook his head lightly and pulled into the parking lot looking round for a slot wide enough to accommodate the van, as he slowly moved around the lot he kept one eye on the spaces and his other on his flustered sister.

"Is this about that girl you keep talking about, the one you said if Quinn slept with you'd burn her hockey sticks?"

Flushing slightly Santana tried to look insulted but she was _always _a lousy liar when it came to Dave, they _all _were! She swore that somehow the boy had managed to bottle that pheromone that she was sure was released every time people saw a kitten and degenerated into a three year old. He had bottled it and used it as cologne and _that _was why it was impossible to tell, let alone maintain a lie around the boy. She sighed and turned to him.

"Okay _maybe, _yeah…I mean it's not like Q hasn't slept with ninety percent of the female population of this place anyway! Besides she's too _sweet _for Q…you know she doesn't actually care about them _after _the sex. And Brittany is too nice for that, I _don't _want to sleep with her…well I mean okay, _yeah, _I do but, I want to do it when we've gotten to know each other after dates and stuff, you know?"

She flushed bright red and folded her arms while fixing her gaze firmly outside so she wouldn't see the grin she just _knew _he would be wearing. However he lay a hand on her shoulder and after catching her gaze squeezed it firmly.

"So stop being a _wuss _and ask her out sis, I mean, come on, you know her by name already so just take the extra step."

Sighing the Latina ran both hands through her hair and sighed in frustration.

"But I don't even know if she's, ya know…_interested_, in me or in women in general and it's not the sort of thing you can just _drop _into friendly conversation. Plus, I mean, well she's always real friendly with _everyone _so I don't know if maybe I'm misreading the signs."

By the end of her word vomit Santana was slightly out of breath and had twisted her hands around the list of groceries they needed. Dave smiled softly and patted her shoulder.

"I tell you what, let's go in and get the shopping done, _you _go talk to her the way you normally do and um…_I _can observe and then let you know what I think, if it's a go then you can ask her out. Come on you _know _I have the best gaydar out of all us…well, Quinn doesn't count because sexuality _never _seems to get in the way for her."

Santana scowled mildly and rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, _don't _remind me…and I know that if she were here I wouldn't stand a chance, but now she isn't I was thinking maybe I could try and get her attention."

Dave slid out of the van, waited for Santana to join him and then chose one of the carts that wasn't wobbly, didn't squeak and didn't veer off to the side. As they walked in and started wandering around he saw his sisters gaze wander towards the café area where the tall blonde worked and whom she had _obviously _fallen quite hard for. He figured that was the only reason she had threatened Quinn into not pursuing her, glancing across he smiled internally as he saw that the blonde, whose name tag read Brittany, also glanced over when she thought she was unobserved. Looks like this matchmaking session could prove to be fairly easy and he steered them in that direction ignoring the usual logical progression of their shopping trip.

Santana's eyes widened and she glanced at Dave who simply smiled pleasantly, then for seemingly no reason adopted a mildly confused expression as he pulled up next to the entrance to the café, sighing loudly enough to attract Brittany's attention he smiled across at her and then cleared his throat waving a hand vaguely.

"I'm sorry but I think I'm going a little crazy here, I could have _sworn _that last time I was in here you had a display of that peanut butter with the chocolate swirls in it?"

Brittany smiled politely at him, though it became noticeably brighter when she turned and nodded to Santana before answering.

"Yeah it's the other end of the aisle, we even made sure to get extra since you guys buy it by the case."

Dave laughed slightly and nodded.

"Yeah, Quinn is sort of addicted to the stuff, and even though she's not here at the moment I figured I'd pick a load up and take it down to her, otherwise that poor partner of hers wont know _what's _hit her when the current supply runs out!"

So saying, he left Santana with the cart and wandered off to grab a case of the peanut treat, the Latina smiled at Brittany and after a nervous moment spoke.

"So…um, how are things, did you try out that recipe yet?"

Brittany frowned for a moment then laughed in an embarrassed way and half hid her eyes behind one hand as she confessed.

"I know that you _said _even an idiot could make that dish, and I do love the thought of fresh corn bread and cauliflower soup but I _think _I might have sort of messed it up a bit."

Santana frowned and wondered if perhaps she'd used too many professional terms, she did that often and wondered why the family looked at her like she'd written things in Greek when she handed them her recipes. Brittany interrupted her musing by laying a hand gently on her forearm and smiling softly.

"Trust me it was _not _the recipe! I'm just one of those people that has never been really good with book learning. I need to _see _stuff being done in a practical way and then I tend to remember it better."

Unseen by either of them round the corner and next to the corn chips Dave was rolling his eyes and muttering to himself about how much more obvious the poor blonde had to be! When Brittany moved off to serve a customer briefly, Dave fished a quarter from his pocket and with unerring accuracy, threw it so it hit Santana on the back of her head. She whirled round angry with her 'I'm gonna rip you a new asshole' look then frowned as she saw it was Dave, checking the blonde was still busy he hissed out in a whisper shout.

"_That _was your cue you idiot! Ask her out!"

The Latina glared at him and opened her mouth to say something when she noticed Brittany making her way back to her end of the counter and she settled for just pointing with narrowed eyes before fixing her smile back on for the blonde.

"Well, maybe I wrote something down wrong, you never know, I can get distracted when I'm around …uh, when I'm…um see, _sometimes _when I try and write things down…the thing is…"

She stopped abruptly as she saw Brittany's smile grow and then felt another quarter hit the back of her head as she blurted out.

"I could come round and maybe walk you through the recipe if you want?"

Brittany smiled brightly and took out an already neatly folded piece of paper that she handed over to the Latina.

"That's my address and phone number, is Friday at seven a good time for you?"

Unable to vocally formulate a reply, Santana settled for nodding wordlessly and Brittany grinned back and gave a little wave before heading off to serve another customer. Dave came up then, and grinning, dumped a case of the peanut butter in the trolley and took the mangled list from his sister.

"See, that wasn't so hard was it? Now where are we headed next…"

He perused the list and watched as Santana very carefully placed the folded piece of paper in her jeans pocket before disguising her joyous grin under a mild scowl and taking the list back, muttering.

"How about the medical supplies aisle, I have a fifty cent _headache _developing!"

Dave just grinned and ruffled her hair before steering them down the fresh produce aisle, after a moment he felt the Latina squeeze him in a hug and he waited for the inevitable…

"Thanks you big lummox…and if you tell _anyone _I hugged you in public, I'll kill you!"

He laughed and started testing the avocado's for freshness.

"I wouldn't _dream _of it, and you're welcome…even if you _do _owe me fifty cents now."

The yelp the big guy let out when Santana kicked him in the ass could be heard in the back stockroom.

Rachel and Will were sat in the ER, the same place they had been sat for the last hour or so, the diva was fidgeting awkwardly and trying her best to not look as guilty as she felt, it wasn't _really _her fault. It was _Quinn _who suggested they play hockey, it was _Quinn _who proceeded to show off and wind her up and it was _Quinn _who goaded her into taking that slap shot, or, puck drive…_whatever _it was it wasn't her fault, that was certain. Which didn't exactly look to be the truth as between reading sections of the paper her coach would look up at her and give her his disappointed face before shaking his head slightly and going back to the paper. It had been like this since they got here and the silence was starting to get to Rachel.

"It's _not _like I did it on purpose."

She grumped the words out and Will glanced at her before dropping his gaze back to the international news pages. The brunette huffed and crossed then uncrossed her arms several times before standing abruptly and pacing.

"Her nose _was _already broken anyway so maybe this is a good thing, now it's re broken they can fix it _properly, _so it doesn't have that cute little kink in it."

Will looked up at that and raised an eyebrow, he had his mouth open to point out _what _she had said when the diva's eyes widened in recognition and she forged on to gloss over the awkward moment.

"I'm just saying if she weren't so _obsessed _with all that macho crap and hadn't needed to show off then this would never have happened."

This time Will didn't even get as far as opening his mouth to talk, he took a breath in to do so and then she carried on with her rant, mindless of the curious looks she was getting from the other patients waiting with them.

"I mean it's hardly _my _fault that _she _cant master the toe pick, if she had then she wouldn't have embarrassed herself! I hate the fact that your looking at me like it's _my _fault!"

The coach didn't bother trying to talk this time, just lifted his eyes from the paper to let her know he was still listening.

"_She _told me to take the shot you know, _she _wound me up then put the stick in my hand so if it ended up with her getting knocked out then she has no one to blame but herself, _I _certainly don't blame myself or feel guilty, _you _don't think I feel guilty do you?"

After ascertaining that it was in fact a genuine question and not a continuation of the diva's ranting he folded the paper and answered her honestly.

"You don't sound guilty…_scared _maybe but not guilty."

Snorting in disbelief Rachel stood and planting both hands on her hips rolled her eyes and paced as she forced a laugh.

_Scared_? why would I be _scared_, like I said before, I didn't _really _do anything, and the whole thing was her idea, any revenge tactic she could try would only infuriate me…so I have no _reason _to be scared."

With a decisive nod she sat back down and crossed her arms and then legs at the ankle, glad to have made her point, that it most certainly was _not _her fault and therefore she didn't feel guilty. Will sat up and tucking the paper away down the side of the seat cleared his throat and waited until Rachel's brown eyes locked onto his own.

"I think you're scared because you and her just _work_, you have your moments don't get me wrong but _you're _skating better and she's skating well considering it's new to her, it's filled you with a passion for the sport again and you're scared she'll leave because you actually have a _partner _now as opposed to just someone you skate with."

Rachel swallowed and cursed Will Schuster for knowing her so well, then again he _had _been coaching her since she turned nine so it would have been amazing if he hadn't noticed the change in her. _She _hadn't noticed it, at least not consciously, but she _had _noticed a new eagerness when it came to her training (that had _nothing _to do with Quinn!) and yes…maybe she had noticed how well they moved together. Swallowing, she tore her gaze away and wondered what to say or even _if _there was a need to say anything.

At that moment the doors to the ER were pushed open by an orderly who was pulling a wheelchair with him, once past the plastic swinging doors he turned around to reveal a familiar blonde woman…well familiar, but, _not _at the same time. It was definitely Quinn judging from the sweat pants and FDSF hoody, but a good three quarters of her face was wrapped in bandages and her head was lolling to the side. Rachel shot up out of her seat and took a step, maybe two, towards the woman before halting and swallowing nervously.

"Q…Quinn are you…what happened, it wasn't _that _bad…was it?"

Off to the side the orderly was handing Will a bag of pain pills and going over instructions with him, he was _also _smirking slightly when he glanced over to where Rachel was leaning forward to talk quietly to the groaning figure of Quinn, it was probably a good thing too. Half reaching out to check on her skating partner the little diva frowned as the hockey player reached up fumblingly to the bandages on her face. Rachel moved to stop her pulling at them until she fully realised what she was seeing, Quinn grinned at her, perfectly aware and happy (maybe a bit _too _happy thanks to the painkillers) the only marks she had were bruises across the bridge of her nose and under and curving around her left eye. Rachel's eyes narrowed and she straightened up so sharply Quinn was surprised there wasn't an audible snap from the move, she smirked and sing songed her answer in the same way Rachel had when she had last said…

"Toe pick!"

Will couldn't help himself, he really couldn't, and in his and indeed Quinn's defence the diva _had _been a royal pain in the ass over the whole toe pick business. She _could _have helped Quinn, given her tips, shown her how to use the toe pick, instead she had turned it into a source of amusement every time the hockey player ended up eating the rink. So he gave in to the amusement he felt when he saw Rachel's jaw drop in a mix of shock, relief and anger, and then he burst into laughter. He caught Quinn's hazel gaze and laughed even more…the brunette, not so much. Storming up to the blonde she lifted both hands and when she could finally master her jaw again and get it to work she spluttered before letting out a frustrated and very loud growl. Her hands swung around and slammed the double doors open as she walked out muttering under her breath, Quinn raised a blonde eyebrow at Will.

"Something I said?"

Chuckling still he walked over and when she got out of the chair they headed to the exit doors where he threw his arm over her shoulders and pointed out softly.

"Not that I'm trying to worry you or anything, but have you considered what _might _happen if she asks you for a re match?"

Quinn stopped dead while Will carried on walking chuckling to himself, the hockey player glanced over to the truck where Rachel was sat with her arms folded, silently fuming and the blonde, looking skywards, sighed.

"In the words of Audrey Parker…_crap_!"

_So…what happens now lol, I have a question for you all do you want me to put the odd chapter in about Brittany and Santana? I have plenty to write about concerning them, and also know what will happen with Dave now, so do I keep it pure Faberry or mix it up with a bit with my other partnerships, you're the readers so let me know you're preferences! Now I don't know when the next update will be as I think I'm succumbing to man flu, at least I hope it's man flu instead of proper flu cos that would suck, wish me well and Lemsip's lol love to ya'll xxx_


	5. Chapter 5

Quinn was glad none of her former conquests could see her as she was right at that moment. _Yes _she was comfortable but this was a look that even she couldn't pull off! She had a bag of peas draped over her nose while she sat with her feet up and another two bags of frozen vegetables draped over her bruised knees where she had spent so much time face planting into the ice. The fact she had on an old Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles T shirt and ripped boxer shorts just completed the unappealing picture…which is why she wasn't exactly amused when there was a knock on the door. She had neither the urge or capability of opening the door and figuring it would more than likely just be Schuster she sighed and called out.

"Come on in…but wipe your feet!"

She smiled to herself at remembering to say that, she also made a mental note to let her mom's know that not _all _of their lessons on manners had been forgotten…_most_, but not all. The smile dropped as she saw who walked through the door, not coach Schuster but a very awkward looking Rachel, suddenly the hockey player was regretting her choice of 'injury wear' and tried not to flush, besides _she _wasn't the one in the wrong for once. Rachel hadn't said one word to her on the drive back from the hospital, she'd just sat in the passenger seat fuming at the blondes so called joke. She'd stormed off as soon as they parked up and this was the first time she'd seen her since, sliding the peas off of her bruised face and wincing Quinn looked at her guest.

"Um…I would get up and welcome you but um…I have a feeling these vegetables are mush already and if I move they might spill on the floor."

Glancing at the scattered items of clothing everywhere Rachel couldn't help but raise an eyebrow sardonically at that, although there was a hint of a smile playing at the edges of her lips.

"Are you sure you'd notice under all this…clutter?"

Quinn rolled her eyes and immediately regretted it as she hissed in pain, the med's were helping but it still hurt worse than the last hockey stick she'd taken to the mouth…and _that _sucker had taken out two teeth. She felt the sofa dip next to her and then cool hands eased across her temples and she frowned slightly before a gentle swat hit her upper leg.

"Don't frown, it will hurt worse, I can help if you…want. No, wait that wasn't _quite _what I meant."

She opened her eyes to see the brunette biting her lip in frustration as she continued to rub surprisingly soothing circles on the blondes temples.

"Look I'm not very good at this okay but…I'm sorry, I let my temper get the better of me and you got hurt because of it. It wasn't something I intended no matter how much you annoy me and I _am _relieved it wasn't more serious."

Quinn waited a moment, partly to gather her thoughts because she was becoming incredibly relaxed, but also she had to think of a suitable way to accept. As out of practice as Rachel was at giving apologies, the hockey player was equally out of practice with how to receive them, normally because most of the time even _she _couldn't argue she didn't deserve whatever happened. Settling for her fall back setting of humour the hockey player half smiled.

"Wow…you really _don't _do this often huh?"

Rachel looked down sharply, her initial reaction was one of indignation but when she saw only honest amusement in the pain clouded hazel eyes she found herself smiling slightly in return.

"No…so consider yourself lucky Fabray! Now let's get you sorted out huh?"

Quinn got as far as opening her mouth before Rachel's hand gently covered it.

"Don't even think of making an innuendo Gretzky, I _meant _I can help the pain in a non perverted way."

Holding both hands up in the peace sign Quinn waited until Rachel removed her hand before replying.

"Not _everything _I think is concerned with sex you know…most things maybe but not everything, and I cant take any more pills so I'm not sure what else you think you can do."

Smiling brightly Rachel placed a small wooden box on the side that the blonde vaguely remembered her bringing in.

"Lucky for you, I know methods that don't include pharmaceuticals, but I _will _need to get rid of your soggy vegetable ice packs, and _you _need to be in bed."

Standing up with a mild groan the hockey player didn't even question why she was letting Rachel help her, it just felt right.

"I hope you know that containing all of the witty and slightly dirty suggestions that I _could _be making right now, inside my head is causing me even more pain Princess."

To her surprise the diva just laughed and offered an arm for support, unwilling for once to let her pride get in the way of support she definitely needed, the hockey player leant on her skating partner as they went into the bedroom. She was actually relieved for once that she didn't have to think any sexually charged thoughts because if she was honest…for the _first _time in her life Quinn had an honest to god headache that would stop her. She smirked inwardly at that but then found herself sighing with relief as she was lain on the comfortable bed. Rachel told her to close her eyes and pottered around for a bit while Quinn kept her eyes tightly closed and tried to will away the headache, she felt the bed dip near her feet and smelt…_something _nice, she had no idea what it was because scents and that sort of thing were more her mom's thing than hers. Rachel spoke softly.

"I'm good at this, so even if you don't believe stuff like this can help I would suggest you just lie back and give it a _try_."

Feeling slightly concerned about the fact she had no idea what the diva was talking about, the blonde cracked open one hazel eye to see Rachel rubbing her hands together to warm them before she lifted one of the hockey players feet into her lap, noticing she was being observed sceptically she rolled her eyes.

"Reflexology, it's perfectly safe now keep your mouth shut and let me help…unless of course you want to say nice things, and by _nice _things I mean normal everyday questions!"

Closing her eyes again Quinn was pleasantly surprised when she felt warm oil being rubbed into her feet, even more so when it _did _actually seem to help the dull thudding in her temples. They sat for a while in silence as the diva worked then, the blonde drawled out in a relaxed tone.

"How come you always have to explain to me what you mean when you say something…like just now, you didn't have to explain what nice things meant you know?"

Rachel's hands paused for a moment then she sighed.

"Because you can be the most infuriating person to have an _actual _conversation with. I understand that maybe sometimes I ask things that you aren't prepared to answer but a simple no would suffice, and instead you use sarcasm and innuendo."

Opening her mouth to refute that, Quinn suddenly realised that she _did _indeed do that, it was habitual, something that had been forged into her genetic make up very early on and so she paused and opening both eyes looked down the bed at the little brunette. She didn't after all _have _to be here trying to help her but she was, in exchange maybe she could let her in, at least a little anyway. Composing herself and mentally forcing down all her natural wiseass tendencies the hockey player let a long breath out.

"I know, it's a bad habit and something that to be honest I don't even realise I'm doing sometimes. It started, ya know…in the children's home, you sort of get used to being looked at and then passed over cos you're too old so after a while you just, develop a shield, kinda like a callus."

Nodding slightly the dive then frowned and dug deep into the muscles of the foot working something that immediately lowered the pain level in her temples.

"You don't have to answer me but…um how _long _were you in the home before your mom's adopted you?"

A part of Quinn started to habitually shut down again but she cleared her throat and forced through it. Whether it was just because she hadn't really spoken about it before or because she felt safe talking about it with Rachel she didn't know, she just decided to go with it for once.

"I don't know but not too long, I mean it's kind of a cliché but it was _because _I got collared by a detective running out of a mini mart that I got adopted. I guess maybe a few months? the home was kinda okay it was safe and warm and it had food, it was like high school pretty much. But yeah…my mom was the one who busted me, when I saw her walk back in I figured I was pretty much screwed and that she'd come to arrest me or something but nope. Instead she walked in with this tall chick, who turned out to be her wife, so my ma, and then asked me if I was gonna carry on stealing when I got adopted finally."

She smiled fondly at the memory and Rachel half raised an eyebrow.

"And of course _you _said?"

At the light and teasing note in the diva's voice Quinn answered honestly.

"I said so long as they had peanut butter then I could most likely behave myself, after we established that there would be a plentiful supply of peanut butter, crunchy variety of course, and that in return there would be no more illegal snatch and grabs…well, they took me home, short version of course, the paperwork is always _way _more complicated."

Rachel's touch was lightening on her right foot now and Quinn found herself nice and comfortably relaxed.

"Okay, your turn Gretzky…fire me a question out, we may as well get acquainted while we're being genuinely civil towards each other don't you think?"

Tucking her folded hands under her head the blonde thought for a moment and realised that there was a _lot _she wanted to know and she wasn't entirely certain why…but for now she'd settle for the small things.

"Hmm, cats or dogs?"

Laughing at the grade school sleepover level of the questions Rachel scrunched up her nose as she thought.

"Ooh…that's a tough one cos I like both but if I _had _to choose…I'd say cats, they clean up their own messes."

Grinning at that Quinn scrunched her nose up in thought and nodded before admitting.

"For the most part I totally agree _but_…and if you tell anyone I ever admitted this I'll plot a suitable revenge, _but_…I really like those teeny Chihuahua dogs, the smooth haired ones. I'd call mine Rocky and it could sleep in the bed and everything."

For a moment Rachel looked at her in stunned silence then burst into gentle laughter that Quinn found herself enchanted by. She looked so…_different _when she laughed, and smiled for that matter, she looked so _pretty_. She was still trying to pick up her metaphorical jaw after being slapped in the face with the brunette's natural beauty that she almost missed the comment.

"No offence Quinn but a hard ass hockey player like you toting around one of those dogs that are more often lugged around in a bag by the likes of Paris Hilton…is _almost _hilarious."

Raising a blonde eyebrow curiously, the hockey player couldn't help but ask.

"I know I'm going to regret this but…only _almost _hilarious?"

The brunette smiled slightly, genuine amusement glinting in her eyes as she slowly put Quinn's foot down and picked up the other one.

"Yes, _almost _because as much as I hate to admit this and risk you mocking me for the rest of the year…the thought of you snuggling up to a teeny dog at night and secretly spoiling it rotten when you think no ones watching is actually really sweet."

The hockey player felt herself flush at the comment, normally people described her as hot, or sexy or, well, _something _along those lines and they were comments she was used to and knew how to handle, but this, _this _was an entirely new sensation. One she was actually taken off guard by, to the extent she felt a flutter in her chest that she hadn't felt in a long time. Before she could think of anything to say to that Rachel rubbed into another muscle and started to ease even more tension, luckily the conversation switched back to mundane things as the little diva asked the next question.

"Alright…um, favourite season?"

Grinning Quinn threw a lazy arm out towards the window where the trees were gently blowing in the breeze and discarding their yellow, red and orange leaves like natural gifts on the lawn.

"What you see out there…most days are just, the right temperature you know? No thick coats or gloves needed, you can just go out walking in jeans and a sweater and without the gloves you can hold hands and still feel a person's skin against yours. Evenings come earlier which mean longer nights to snuggle together watching TV or movies and drinking disgracefully calorific hot chocolates. Sometimes with a nice open fire, and _then _of course there's thanksgiving, Halloween which is by far and away _the _best holiday of the year."

Quinn didn't realise she had been chatting away almost dreamily, the relaxation caused by Rachel's reflexology meant she was revealing more than she meant to and wasn't even aware of it. The brunette seemed to sense this and smiled gently, she didn't want to take advantage of the hockey players relaxed state per se, but it _was _nice to see her unguarded for once.

"How come you like Halloween more than Christmas or Easter or any of the other holidays?"

Blinking sleepily the blonde managed a one shouldered shrug lying down and wiped a hand down her face wearily as she started to explain, again if she had been her _usual _smart ass self with all her walls in place then she wouldn't have let half of what she was actually about to say anywhere even _near _her mouth. Instead her words fell out without any kind of shielding.

"Halloween is the most honest holiday, Easter is meant to be about the resurrection, believing in the miracle of the afterlife and the omnipotence of Jesus and thusly God. But half the people who celebrate it just do it for the chocolate, they don't believe but they still practice it because it means they get something you know? Same goes for Christmas, aside from the whole argument over whether or not December is the _accurate _date, it's another time that means the rich get richer and the poor feel so much despair it's crippling. Halloween on the other hand…is about keeping the demons from your door, quite literally and kids at your door are there for candy and not much else, but they're _honest _about that."

She trailed off, unaware that Rachel was watching her with a mix of sadness and curiosity, _mostly _she missed it because she was half asleep by this point, the brunette knew she was pushing it but she couldn't help it and so carried on with her question.

"So…you never _enjoyed _Christmas or any of the other holidays when you were a kid?"

Blowing out a tired breath the blonde threw an arm over her eyes and spoke quietly, so quietly Rachel had to strain to listen to the words coming from the heart shaped lips she was growing more and more fond of, in a _friendly _way of course.

"My…dad was pretty much a scumbag gambler, when he learnt I could count cards he taught me a system of wordless communication. After that he would take me with him to all these games full of…well I'm sure you can imagine the calibre of people that attend high stakes back room invitation only card games. He used to say he couldn't get a sitter and as the majority were as morally anorexic as he was they never questioned it. Those games were full of people desperate to get money for bills or drink or whatever and my dear old pops would clean them out, thanks to me."

Pausing she rubbed her face with both her hands and carried on talking, it was akin to being drunk in that now she had finally started talking about something that so far she had kept to herself, she couldn't stop.

"I tried to temper his wins with a few losses, I remember this one guy, he'd been canned a week before Christmas and didn't have the nerve to tell his wife and kids so she'd spent money they didn't actually have…I _let _him win that night, after the game I got the thrashing of my life, couldn't sleep on my back for like a month. Anyway, long story short eventually people knew there _had _to be a reason he kept winning and one game this guy, let's just call him Ali because he's kinda well known and I don't want to risk getting shanked. Ali worked it out and confronted my dad, he caved _so _easily and this guy went nuts…he said either my dad gave him all of the money he had earned through cheating or he would kill him. Daddy dearest didn't want to lose either of those things so instead he offered _me _to the guy. Ali accepted and there began my career, short lived though it was, with the mob."

Swallowing down her cocktail of confusing emotions Rachel tried to think of _something _to say. She always knew she had been lucky when it came to her parents and her life but hearing something like that really _did _put things into perspective. No wonder Quinn was as prickly as she was, with an upbringing like that it was amazing she had turned out honest (give or take a temper outburst and the card counting that is) and with the relatively positive approach to life she seemed to have. Eventually she settled on setting the second foot down softly and moving to sit on the side of the bed.

"You should sleep now Gretzky, you're head will be banging in the morning so if you need to, then sleep in…I could do with a morning off from your smart ass comments _anyway_."

Opening sleepy hazel eyes Quinn smiled up at Rachel in a completely unguarded way and reaching out with one of her calloused hands she lay it on one of the diva's.

"Whatever the Hell stuff it was you _did _to me was pretty damn relaxing Princess, anytime you want to practice this reflexology stuff, just give me a call huh?"

Chuckling slightly Rachel rolled her eyes and standing up to gather her stuff together she hummed happily, belatedly realising that it wasn't only _Quinn _who felt relaxed. Standing stock still for a moment she frowned as she realised this was the first time in a long time that she herself felt _genuinely _content…and it was with the brash arrogant hockey player of all people. She hadn't even felt this relaxed when Finn was last here, in fact _that _had been tense in a different way as he kept pushing her to be more intimate. As much as she…felt for him, she didn't want to break her promise, she may not have made that promise to God or her fathers or anything like that but to _her _it was important that she didn't sleep with anyone until after she was married, something she thought that he had understood but his actions lately proved that he was as horny as the next guy and didn't understand why it was so important to her. Glancing over at the sleeping hockey player she moved towards her before she realised what she was doing. It made no sense really, Quinn was an annoying, frustrating, wisecracking and womanising _idiot_…most of the time. But days like today, when they shared easy conversation and _maybe _a little more than the hockey player had intended when she revealed some of her past, well, they revealed a different Quinn Fabray. One who was sensitive, funny, kind and more moral than anyone would ever suspect, sadly she was buried under the 'ass Quinn' and it took something as serious as a busted nose and a blinding headache for her to let even a _fraction _of the wall down that she usually hid behind.

Tucking a strand of the blonde hair behind a surprisingly delicate ear, Rachel found herself gently tracing the thin white line of a faded scar just visible on the underside of the blondes jaw. She knew things were…_odd _between the two of them, they sniped at each other constantly because in a way it was more comfortable than the precipice they seemed to find themselves on whenever the yelling stopped. Quinn made her _feel _things she hadn't felt before and it worried her, her life plan was set out, marry Finn, win Olympic gold and then retire after a few years to have a family and turn to coaching. _Nowhere _in that plan did it take into account anyone like Quinn Fabray, that however made no difference to her heart and she sighed heavily before pulling the quilt up over the hockey player and quietly leaving the room, whatever happened next _someone _was bound to get hurt.

As it transpired Quinn _did _take the morning off but not purposefully, she hadn't set her alarm before falling asleep and when she finally woke up the next day it was gone one o clock and although fuzzy she felt truly relaxed and there was only a dull throbbing across the bridge of her nose. She took another two pain pills and then deliberated between heading over to the ice rink for a while or to the gym and sauna area. She remembered _some _of her conversation last night and felt distinctly ill as she recalled that she had shared more about her life with her father than she had intended to. At the time it hadn't bothered her and had in actuality been a relief but _now _she felt a definite sense of regret and so decided to avoid the rink.

Heading to the gym she set her towel to one side and started to work out, trying to _exercise _as opposed to _exorcise _her demons, the last thing she wanted to be doing right now was thinking about her fucked up family life that had brought her to the children's home, but talking to Rachel last night had churned it all up inside of her and she couldn't exactly _stop it_. She grabbed hold of the upright bar and started a set of pull up's, fifty reps a cool down followed by another fifty were the usual order of business but today she intended to carry on until she wore herself out. As she worked, images flashed through her mind mercilessly, ones she had buried so far down deep inside her mind but now,…now she couldn't find a way to stop it.

_The backroom of the bar they were currently in stank of old beer, cigar smoke and stale corn chips, mostly due to those items being available in plentiful supply. There were bowls of the grease laden corn chips on the battered green baize poker table, several pint mugs were placed near players elbows and at least four of the twelve players sat at the table were puffing away on cheap Havana cigars. Eight year old Quinn Fabray was sat perched on a stool chewing on the stale corn chips, her dad might make a fortune but proper nutrition for his little 'golden goose' __**wasn't **__top of his priority. There were ten male players including her dad who was slowly, so as not to give anything away, beginning to take the table's money. Opposite him was a desperate man and although the other players couldn't see him doing it, Quinn could see the wallet that lay open on his knee as he occasionally touched a shaking hand to it as if for luck. Quinn knew it was of a woman she guessed was his wife and three young children._

_Her father was a shark in __**every **__sense of the word, he didn't care what a persons circumstances were or how desperate they were, he only cared in as much as that he kept an eye out for his opponents weaknesses and then went in for the kill. The desperate man was only growing more so with each hand he lost and despite the numerous times her father had beaten into her the fact that sentiment had __**no **__place in their life and would only weaken them, she couldn't help but feel for the man and his family that seemed so happy in that picture. It was the sort of family she saw in TV shows and movies but had never experienced and she swallowed hard as she watched him hesitate then throw his wedding ring into the pot that was rapidly growing in the middle of the table. _

_The next card that came down she knew the guy was going to sweep the pot if she didn't tell her father…and taking a deep breath Quinn Fabray at eight years old finally took a stand and made a decision by herself, she decided that the desperate man with his happy family deserved the pot of twenty thousand dollars a __**hell **__of a lot more than her father did so she drew in a deep breath and sent the wrong signal deliberately. Moments later when the man realised __**he **__had won the pot he almost wept with relief and sliding his ring on he drew the chips towards himself and did the smart thing, he cashed out. After that the game pretty much fell apart, as he left, Quinn tugged gently on his coat tail and he turned round with a curious frown._

"_Mister…merry Christmas."_

_He looked blank for a moment then he smiled tearfully and reaching down he cupped her cheek for a brief moment and winked._

"_You too kiddo, you too."_

_He winked once more then walked off, and for the __**first **__time in her young life the blonde felt proud, not of what she had done but of what she hadn't done, she had let fate play his hand uninterrupted and the most deserving guy at the table had won. She smiled slightly to herself, right up until the moment her father caught sight of her and she knew that as good as she felt at that moment it wouldn't last. Sure enough later that night as she wriggled to escape the iron grip her father's hand had on the back of her neck she tried to cling to the feeling of goodwill she had felt earlier but as the leather of his belt bit repeatedly into her flesh it became harder and harder. That night she learnt the lesson that indeed 'No good deed goes Unpunished' and she never got the nerve to defy her father again._

Dropping from the grab bar Quinn bent breathlessly and enjoyed the burning sensation in her muscles as she started to wind down from the exhaustive workout. Snatching her towel up she felt phantom pain in her back and an itching all down it and her buttocks as she envisioned the faded scars that littered her body. There was a reason she was a giver and not a taker when it came to sex, she had _no _problem with exploring another woman's body until she knew it far more intimately than she did her own, but she preferred to handle her own needs and so far no woman other than herself had touched her in that way. She'd never felt enough trust to let it happen that way, and she put such effort into getting the other woman to pass out with pleasure that she'd never had to deal with saying no. sighing to herself she scrubbed both hands down her face and moved to the bench and weights, adjusting the amount so it was just right she lay down on the bench and with a deep breath started her reps, mind once more wandering.

_**This **__game had been going differently, her father was winning but there was a guy at the back of the room, not the usual type either, he wasn't a body guard or a loan shark, he was something more. Quinn who was nine by this point (in fact it was the night of her ninth birthday) her fathers present to her was to actually feed her properly for the first time that week when he took a break from the two hooker's he had in his room with him, __**knew **__there was something dangerous about this man and she would occasionally shoot glances at the big man before remembering she was meant to be concentrating on the game. She sent the next signal and yet again her father took the pot, it wasn't huge but she saw the big man narrow his eyes and she felt her own widen in panic and she swallowed._

_It happened in a flash after that, the big man moved and in a very low growl he had the room cleared apart from Quinn and her father. The nine year old whipped her head between the door and her father wondering if she could make it out before anyone caught hold of her. A moot point as it turned out, because a hand slammed down in a vice like grip on her shoulder and she looked fearfully up into the cold eyes of a giant hulk of a man, in fact he did sort of remind her of the Incredible Hulk apart from the fact he wasn't green. Nevertheless it was the mix of cold grey eyes and the livid scar on the guy's neck that kept her glued to her seat and she fiddled anxiously with the comic in her hands. She became aware of voices and switched her attention to the other side of the room where the big guy had her father pinned to the wall with a gun under his chin._

"_How long did you think you were going to be able to pull this shit __**off **__Fabray? Did you actually think that your miraculous winning streak __**wouldn't **__be noticed? I mean shit man you ought to be ashamed of yourself, __**I'm **__a bastard but even I don't use my own daughter to trick a bunch of crooks and desperate men, what the hell were you going to do if it went wrong huh?"_

_Russell looked more and more like a trapped weasel as he squirmed in the grip of the big guy and whined out an excuse, or at least what __**he **__thought was an excuse._

"_I weren't cheating Marco, card counting aint cheating and you __**know **__that! Besides the kid knows how to run if she wants or needs to but she knows she's got it sorted with __**me **__to look after her."_

_Marco glared at him in disgust and turned his gaze onto Quinn who was dressed in jeans so faded and worn they were barely there and a shirt that was way too small as well as a torn jacket. That night her face also bore the remnants of a black eye and a puffy lip._

"_Don't look to me like she runs fast __**enough**__, that you that smacked her around Fabray?"_

_Russell smiled in a sickly way and tried once again to wriggle free, with a squeak he stopped moving because he could feel the hand gripping his neck too hard, whimpering he spoke again._

"_She was back chatting, more trouble than she's damn well worth."_

_He was of course bluffing because without Quinn he had no chance of winning a game, he needed his kid to count the cards and tell him when to fold. Marco wasn't stupid and he knew this was the case, he lifted Russell up and slammed him back into the wall forcefully._

"_You got a choice Fabray, you either hand over __**everything **__you made through cheating your goddamn ass off or I let it leak out how much exactly you have been cheating, and I just let them come after you…your choice."_

_The Weasley little man squirmed again, there was no way he could survive if it was leaked out he was cheating for definite but also…he __**couldn't **__hand the money over, mostly because he'd fucked or snorted away the majority of it. But he had one thing that he could bargain with and although it was his most valuable chip he would rather lose it than he would his life or his money, so swallowing he spoke rapidly._

"_Look I don't have the money and you know I wont last if you tell everyone about me but I have a counter offer. Take the kid, use her however you want!"_

_Quinn gasped this time despite not wanting to make a sound, the idea of belonging to the huge man with the cold eyes frightened her and she tried once again to slip from the stool and run but she was no match for the behemoth that held her fast and so she found herself held tightly and unable to move as Marco ran his appraising eye over her for a moment before turning back to Russell and laughing._

"_You're a cold bastard aren't you Fabray? You're actually telling me you're going to give me your flesh and blood, even though you have no idea __**what **__I might do to her, just to avoid a beating you damn well deserve?"_

_Russell sneered and shrugging as best as he could in the iron grip of the mob boss he glared over at the scared blonde girl in front of him._

"_Do I look like I care? She's more trouble than she's worth, just another mouth to feed and if I cant use her for cards then she's useless to me."_

_Passing Russell to another of the hired muscle he ambled over to Quinn and looked her over carefully before kneeling down so he was on eye level with her. Reaching out he ran a hand down her cheek and when she flinched at his touch he pulled his hand back and slapped her hard enough to cut the inside of her cheek on her teeth. She immediately lowered her gaze to the floor and Marco laughed._

"_Hmm, she's well trained at least…"_

Setting the bar of the weight into the rest braces Quinn sat up abruptly and got to her feet trying to pace away the long overdue panic she felt welling up inside her. She could still hear that bastards mocking laughter in her mind and trying to erase it from her memory, she picked up the dumb bells from the floor and started reps furiously, her back to the mirrored wall so she wouldn't have to look at herself, she knew what she would see and she knew she would hate it. _Damn _Rachel why did she have to stir all this up again! She hadn't spent years blocking it out and building a personality just to lose it because of one stupid sweet smile and foot rub.

No matter how much she worked out though she couldn't get the images out of her head or the feelings out of her sensory memory. Swallowing she let her arms drop and one of the dumb bells fell from her sweat soaked digits, she glared at the other for a moment and with that mocking laughter still ringing in her ears she roared angrily and turning on her heel launched the remaining one at the mirrored wall. The resulting crash was deafening to her and she felt her knees go out from under her before she sank down to the floor. Vaguely there was the sound of pounding feet but she didn't care, it wasn't until she felt a hand on her knee that she looked up and realised she'd been silently crying.

Rachel could still feel her heart pounding in her chest, she had lain awake most of last night wondering if Quinn would be okay. She sensed that what she had revealed wasn't something the blonde spoke about very often and as such there was _bound _to be some kind of fallout. Looking at the remains of the mirrored wall she winced but was just glad it was a weight that had done the damage and _not _the hockey players fists. She had to go about this carefully though, Quinn wasn't like the other people she knew, she wouldn't want to be coddled and sympathised with because that wasn't what she expected. _Rachel _wouldn't however let her sink into denial about it either, to her mind there had to be a good reason that she had said what she had last night. However one wrong word right now and she knew they would be back at square one if not worse than that.

Blowing a strand of dark hair out of her eyes the little diva reached up and tucked it behind her ear before very briefly squeezing the hockey players knee. After that she stood up and then held a hand out, raising one eyebrow sceptically Rachel rolled her eyes and moved her hands to her hips impatiently as she spoke, her words however held little _real _irritation and remained soft.

"It's not a trick Gretzky, I just thought we could do something more productive than smash the gym up…for instance I could help you to master this toe pick problem, how does _that _sound?"

It was an olive branch really, Quinn knew that Rachel wanted to do more than work, she wanted to talk to her, to help her even, but Rachel _also _wasn't stupid and knew that while _she _was ready and willing to do that _Quinn _most certainly wasn't. So instead she offered her the next best thing, which was to take her mind off of everything, and while a part of the hockey player wanted desperately to be irritated as fuck that all of this had been stirred up by the pain in the ass diva…she couldn't, because in all fairness it had _always _been there. This time when Rachel offered her hand Quinn accepted it and allowed herself to be helped up, she raised an impressed blonde eyebrow.

"Not bad muscles for a privileged Princess."

Allowing the traces of a smile to flit across her lips Rachel raised her eyebrow in a direct challenge to Quinn.

"Just get your ass on the ice Gretzky and we'll _see _whose got the bigger muscles, we'll just tell Will that we dropped a weight in here, he wont question it."

Grinning in a mix of relief and gratefulness that she was being dragged out of her dark thoughts Quinn casually slung an arm round Rachel's shoulder and they made their way out and towards the rink.

"Admit it, you just missed skating with _my _sparkling personality."

Rolling her eyes Rachel slid the hockey players arm off of her shoulders and turning to face her while she walked backwards for a moment she smiled innocently.

"Sparkling is _not _a word I would associate with you Fabray, brash yes, hot headed definitely, maybe even crass…but not sparkling."

The blonde laughed out loud at that and then wagged a finger at the diva.

"You know if your skating was as fast as your mouth then we would have mastered the whole moving together thing ages ago."

Rachel's jaw dropped in feigned shock.

"You want to see _fast _Fabray?"

Smirking, Rachel grabbed hold of Quinn's T shirt and yanked her forward so she nearly stumbled straight _into _the short diva. Managing to keep her footing with some fancy manoeuvring she found herself the recipient of a particularly appealing smirk that seemed to light up something deep within her chest. She was unaware of the stutter in her breathing but Rachel wasn't and her smirk grew as she leaned in to growl against the blondes ear.

"I bet I can get to the rink faster than you, _so _fast in fact that I'll be able to make it to the sofa in the comfy corner before _you _even make it past the doors."

Opening her mouth to reply to such an outrageous slur on her person Quinn stopped abruptly when she felt Rachel's lips brush against her ear as she finished the word 'doors' and despite her resolve to prove the diva wrong she instead found herself biting down on a groan. Laughing Rachel shoved lightly at her chest and while the hockey player tried to recover her equilibrium the brunette took off at a swift run. Moments later Quinn realised what she'd done and despite narrowing her eyes in annoyance she also shook her head in mild appreciation of the tactic before heading after her at a sprint.

The brunette barely made it through the door and was nowhere near the comfy corner when Quinn literally dived through the opening and with a surprised yelp barrelled straight into Rachel with a breathless thump. The two of them tumbled onto the ice and went skidding across it without skates, the fall was inevitable really and with two half yelps half giggles both skaters found themselves face down on the rink and sliding all over the place. It didn't help that far from receding the giggles just got worse and for a while they looked like human air hockey pucks floating over the ice while convulsed with giggles.

Eventually they sat up and realised Will Schuster was standing at the edge of the rink looking at them in puzzlement, this sent them into even more laughter and muttering to himself in confusion the coach decided to leave, take a walk and come back later when things seemed more…normal. Making it to her feet at the edge of the rink Quinn started taking her sneakers off to lace on her skates, still chuckling slightly. Next to her Rachel was doing the same and they managed to get to their feet and next to each other without either falling over again or having a hysterical fit.

Rachel let out a breath and still with a faint smile she turned to Quinn and started explaining the technique to stop properly and turn without ending up with a face full of ice every time. At first Quinn was sceptical given the brunettes previous amusement over her various mishap with the cursed piece of equipment. However after a first wobbly attempt she looked up and grinned, after rolling her eyes Rachel pointed out that she hadn't exactly nailed it yet. Sighing dramatically Quinn mimicked Rachel under her breath but the diva just laughed. After a few more attempts at it Quinn realised she was getting the hang of it and while Rachel practiced her own moves the hockey player repeated the move again and again until she nailed it five times in a row. After that she took a deep breath and puffing her chest out proud of her achievement she skated over to stop next to Rachel who merely looked up from the end of her sit spin and panted breathlessly.

"Yes?"

Grunting a breath out Quinn just held her hand out to Rachel and when the diva took it she pulled her up abruptly, the power of the supposedly light pull taking Rachel off guard at which point Quinn couldn't help but grinning. Just because they were getting on now did not mean they had to stop ALL the jibes!

"I'm ready, let's do it…come on Princess, let Gretzky show you some real moves Princess!"

Batting at Quinn's other hand which was irritably scratching the side of her nose she rolled her eyes.

"Fine but if you fall on your ample ass again _I _get to laugh and point!"

The hockey player barked a laugh.

"Ha! Fine but if I _perfect _it I get to choose a movie that you _have _to watch, because frankly your movie knowledge kinda sucks Princess!"

Rolling her eyes indulgently the brunette just nodded and skated over to their starting position, as she stood there and waited for Quinn to skate up behind her and place a hand on her hip she couldn't deny that this time felt different, there was a certain anticipation in the air.

On the count of three they both took off and as usual the first part went smoothly, on the crossover where it usually went wrong not only did Quinn keep her feet under her but she kept her hand gripping Rachel's and they both completed the move swiftly, ending up next to each other hands clasped together in the middle with their outer hands placed on their hips and feet crossed at the ankle. For a breathless moment they both stood and looked at each other happily then Quinn let out a celebratory whoop and punched the air, even Rachel found herself grinning along with a slight giggle and after the hockey player skated a small circle around the diva she stopped in front of her and grinning almost stumbled from sheer exuberance.

Her hands ended up back on the brunette's hips and they were only an inch away from each other, smiling happily Quinn's voice came out slightly hoarse as she leant in closer.

"How do you like them moves Princess Berry?"

There was definitely a tingle of something other than the unrestrained joy at finally completing a pairs move and Rachel found her hands on Quinn's hips as she mirrored her pose, voice just as low.

"I definitely think your moves are improving Gretzky."

The words were almost whispered and in the silence of the private rink, all they could hear was their breathless pants as they leaned in towards each other driven by an instinct neither of them acknowledged, they were literally centimetres apart, close enough for Quinn to smell the mint on Rachel's breath when a voice interrupted them abruptly.

"Rach?"

The brunette jerked fully upright eyes wide with shock and just a touch of fear as she uttered the one word that Quinn really, really didn't want to hear right at that moment.

"Finn!"

_Okay so yeah…I know it's late but things have been crazy mad and…um the cats ate my laptop…and then a T Rex burst in and ate me and I had to fight my way free and then when I did I realised it was an alien T Rex and so I had to steal a spaceship and fly home and got detained by NASA…um that sounds believable right? If not then it was the one armed man's fault (showing my age there oops) or…um I lost the chapter on my laptop because it ended up in my file of CSI episodes…and no I don't know how, anyway I hope you enjoy and don't kill me for the cliff hanger! More soon I completely promise (so long as I avoid alien t Rex's) _


	6. Chapter 6

_And here we are! A little later than planned admittedly but um…oops? I do have an excuse though which revolves around international espionage and a super secret chicken soup recipe that if used would bring peace to the world…but I would have to kill you if I fully revealed it!…yeah even I don't believe me lol, however as I left you on such an unpleasant cliff hanger I promise this time will be a nice ending, on with the show!_

For a long moment the rink was thick with an awkward silence then Rachel pushed away from Quinn so suddenly both of them staggered slightly as they tried to find purchase on the ice with their skates, ignoring the look the annoyed hockey player was shooting her way, Rachel tucked a strand of her dark hair that had come loose from it's bun behind her ear. She had no idea why she felt so guilty, she hadn't after all _done _anything to warrant the feeling…honestly, all they had been doing was what they were supposed to be doing which was _practicing_. Yes, perhaps they had gotten a tad over excited but that was only because after so many hours of face planting into the ice Quinn had _finally _mastered the toe pick. She cleared her throat and deliberately avoiding Quinn's eyes smiled overly brightly at her fiancée.

"Finn…what are you _doing _here? I mean, I wasn't expecting you or anything, daddy never said."

The tall dark haired boy tucked his hands into the pockets of his trousers and smiled that particularly appealing dopey smile that he knew Rachel loved. He had no idea what exactly that _other _chick was doing on the ice but he already felt uncomfortable around her.

"No it was a surprise, your father gave me the weekend off and suggested I come up so we could spend time with each other."

Quinn couldn't quite contain the snort and internally cursed as both Rachel and this _Finn _character shot her looks, her skating partners was one of confusion but Finn…well _he _made it clear he didn't like her, ironically that made her grin. Rachel stomped one foot on the ice and the hockey player found herself wondering (marvelling if she were honest) at how the diva managed to do that in skates and _not _end up on her ass.

"You have something you want to add to this conversation that quite frankly has _nothing _to do with you Gretzky!"

Rubbing the back of her neck the blonde smirked and glanced at Finn before looking back to Rachel.

"Not at all, just that I'm glad you have Rachel's father to remind you of those _hard _to form ideas like, you know, spending time with the woman you're _meant _to love."

Rachel's face flushed, though whether it was with anger or shame at the hockey players behaviour was harder to figure out. Finn frowned and answered before the diva could.

"Is that meant to be some kind of insult, and who the hell _are _you anyway?"

Reaching for her grape Gatorade the hockey player rolled her eyes and after taking a long swallow during which she watched the gigantic oaf in front of her grow more and more uncomfortable, she smirked.

"Well let me think…given the fact I'm in figure skates, am on a private rink that belongs to Rachel and we were skating together…I'm gonna go with the conclusion that _I'm _her new partner."

She had to admit that the shocked look on the idiot boy's face was worth the slow and (for her at least) overly verbose reply. As Finn stared at her with bug eyes and mouth open in shock, Quinn turned to the scowling Rachel and grinned as the man child in front of her finally managed to sputter out.

"But…you're a chick?"

Trying her best not to choke on the mouthful of Gatorade she just took Quinn turned to Rachel and raised a wry eyebrow.

"So, I'm guessing you guys _didn't _meet in any AP classes?"

Finn's frown only deepened and Rachel scowled as she rammed her hands onto her hips so hard the hockey player was pretty sure that the diva must have bruised herself.

"Because intelligence is of _course _the main reason you should be with someone! And by the way jokes about intelligence levels coming from _you _of all people is the height of irony."

Folding her arms the blonde leaned back and raised both eyebrows in mild annoyance.

"Like _you _would even know, to my recollection you have never actually asked what my IQ is, you just assume I'm dumb because I play hockey and work in a video games store. For the record I'm pretty sure that _I _could beat your trained chimp here when it comes to whipping them out and comparing size."

Aside from being the point of the argument Finn himself was largely forgotten as both women got to within an inch of each other and started yelling.

"I doubt that, however lacking you may find Finn, _he _at least has morals and decency, something that you obviously lost shortly after your fiftieth slap shot to the brain!"

Narrowing her eyes dangerously Quinn leant forwards so there were mere millimetres separating her lips from the diva's.

"Given the choice between low morals and the intelligence of a squashed raisin _I'll _go for the hooker every day!"

Rachel narrowed her eyes in return and hissed back.

"Why am I _not _surprised, if you actually managed to date a woman whose breasts hadn't been photographed and placed in a magazine the chances are you would suddenly realise how insipid and uninteresting you _actually _are!"

Hazel eyes flashed with gold angrily before Quinn found herself shaking with the repressed rage and replying in a low hiss.

"Are you trying to say that the _only _thing I have going for me is sex? The fact that as opposed to you I actually know _how _to do it and enjoy it?"

Smiling icily Rachel sniped back.

"_Exactly_, all you are Fabray is loose morals and attitude."

The silence that fell after that was colder than the rink itself and standing back up straight Quinn turned her back and moved away without another word. Finn looked confused as he glanced at Rachel.

"What the hell was all _that _about?"

Glancing briefly at him Rachel looked confused then irritated, though more with herself than the departing blonde, already half of her wanted to go after Quinn and apologise, she hadn't after all meant _any _of that. The conversations she had shared with the hockey player had given her an insight into the woman that hinted at so much more. Sighing she just turned to Finn and managed to muster a small smile.

"Never mind…it's okay let's just…go and have something to eat shall we? I'll tell Coach Schu that I'm taking this weekend off and we can just spend the time together."

That suggestion had the desired effect and the tall boy grinned and reached out for her hand. Although she tried her best not to, Rachel couldn't _help _but compare his large and sweaty hand to the calloused but surprisingly gentler one of her blonde skating partner. She would just have to enjoy this weekend and try and work out how to apologise to Quinn later, she knew the blonde was _far _from stupid and she also knew that she had over reacted to the comments about Finn's lack of intelligence but she had been caught off guard by his arrival. The guilt was a new thing though and she still wasn't quite sure _why _she felt guilty when he had walked into the rink…or at least she _pretended _to herself that she didn't know. In actuality she was fairly certain that had they not been interrupted at that exact moment he had walked in, then she _would _have kissed the hockey player. Even now she felt that odd flutter of excitement and something else come to life in her belly when she thought about how close they had been. But _that _was insane, Finn was her fiancée for goodness sakes, the one she would be marrying. Shoving her doubt and confusion back down the diva decided to chalk it up to the intensity of the moment and forcing a smile she made herself relax enough to talk in a casual fashion and slowly walked Finn back towards the side of the rink that led to the house…after all to Quinn it would just have been another kiss,, another notch on her belt so to speak and Rachel, well she wasn't sure _what _she had hoped for but she knew she didn't want to be just another name on the long list of women that Quinn Fabray had seduced!

Across the rink the hockey player watched as the short brunette held on to the ape man's hand and left. She _hated _him, she hated Rachel for pushing her away like she was ashamed of her, and most of all she hated the fact that she hated the previous two things! Life wasn't meant to _be _like this for her, emotions weren't something she considered to be a part of the urge to physically be with someone. This…well _this _was all messed up and somehow it was all Rachel's fault, it had to be because before she came along Quinn would have just taken Finn's appearance in stride or better yet teased the hot headed diva about it to get a rise out of her. What she didn't expect was to feel genuinely disappointed at the timing of the tall boy's entrance and hurt at the way Rachel had literally shoved Quinn away from her like she was leprous or something.

Pausing to drain the last of the grape flavoured drink she hurled it across the rink towards the door that had just closed on the departing couple and cursing sat on the edge of the ice. For a long moment she took deep breaths then tried to work this out. After all _yes _Rachel was attractive, hot even, beautiful when she _actually _dropped the diva attitude, cute when she laughed…well _shit_, even thinking about the girl had her getting hot and bothered and scowling she pushed those thoughts to the back of her head and went back to the cold logic she had been trying for in the first place. It had been nearly two _months _since she had had sex, Rachel was the only woman she had been around and it was inevitable she would fixate on her, the fact she hadn't been down and dirty in a while was just confusing her mind was all…what she needed was one of her old style weekends, that was all, and with Rachel's very own Sasquatch here to keep her company _this _weekend, what better time was there?

Shoving the last of her equipment into her bag the hockey player grinned as she thought of going home to see her family for the weekend. The long bike ride would blow out some of the cobwebs, she could go see Mike, hit the local bars and take a lady or two home, or better yet to a damn hotel where she could behave even _more _depraved. She chose to ignore the unfamiliar pang of pain in her chest when she thought of being away from the diva for that long. Probably shouldn't have had half a jar of peanut butter for breakfast, _that _was all it was, indigestion…certainly not anything else because that was _not _the way Quinn Fabray rolled, no siree! One good night of alcohol, consequence and strings free sex and she'd be back on course, _now _all she had to do was persuade Coach Schu that it was okay to have the weekend off.

The coach was in the gym on the treadmill when she walked past and so slinging the duffel of her equipment over her shoulder she leaned into the door with a small smile.

"Hey coach…you got a minute?"

Hitting the cool down button on the machine he nodded and gestured for her to continue as she smiled awkwardly.

"I know we said this was going to be intensive training and everything but, some reject from planet of the apes named _Finn _has shown up to spend the weekend with her highness and I'm assuming she'll want to be with him so…well I'm kinda eager to see how things are between my mom's."

As the treadmill slowed down to a gentle walk Coach Schu smiled slightly and thought it over.

"Well, I mean _normally _I would say no but I guess with Finn here Rachel will be otherwise occupied so as long as you're ready for the five AM start Monday morning I don't see it would be a problem."

Quinn grinned happily and winked at the coach.

"Thanks, it means a lot to me, the training is actually a _lot _tougher than ice skating, but don't tell coach B I said that!"

Schu laughed softly and shook his head as he grabbed his face towel from the handle of the treadmill and wiped the back of his neck.

"I wouldn't _dream _of it…so, how are things going anyway? I mean on a personal level between you and Rachel, have the two of you managed to find a peaceful accord at least?"

Rubbing the back of her neck Quinn managed to _not _scowl and eventually forced a very small and insincere smile for his benefit as she thought back to what had happened on the ice not _five _minutes ago.

"I suppose so yeah, I mean we haven't _killed _each other yet which has to be a positive thing. She's annoying and confusing as hell!"

The last six words just burst from her for _no _reason…well no immediate reason that she could discern anyway. There _was _no legitimate reason for her to find Rachel confusing and yet the fact remained that the little brunette was the only woman who had ever gotten under her skin like this. She could tell that Mr Schu was a little taken aback by her outburst, a fact only confirmed when he raised an eyebrow and turned to her in mild concern.

"Confusing…_how _is she confusing?"

Okay…well, _now _she had to think fast, she couldn't exactly go with the truth, especially as she had to confess she didn't even know _what _the truth was herself. Pausing to rub a hand through her hair, she then cleared her throat as she came up with something that was confusing, just not in the way she had initially meant.

"I just…cant get used to the way she blows hot and cold you know? One minute she really seems like she could be almost normal, then she just goes and ruins it all by freaking out and assuming that haughty princess act again, I never know where I _am _with her!"

Will smiled despite himself at that statement and leaning on the wall behind him he paused for a moment before speaking softly.

"Well, if its any consolation…you're lasting _much _longer than anyone else did. It may be hard to believe but she does really like you, and I don't think it's _just _because she's scared of being without a partner. As much as you find her annoying she not only worked with you but she helped you, she's _never _done that before."

Quinn rolled her eyes and almost left it at that but…she couldn't, there were things she didn't know, not just about the way _she _was reacting but also why _Rachel _was acting the way she was. After a long moment during which she realised Will was waiting patiently for her to speak she sighed and shouldered the heavy duffle into a more comfortable position on her shoulder before muttering.

"Why does she keep acting like such a _dick _then!"

Sighing the coach grabbed his bottle of water and after taking a long sip he tried to think how best to reply in a way which was honest and yet _didn't _betray the trust of either skater.

"Quinn, Rachel might _seem _like she has it all but she has very little in some ways."

At the hockey players confused look he rubbed the towel over his face again and spoke gently.

"Okay, _you _come from a pretty big family yeah? There's you, your brother and sister and your mom's and the house is always full I assume, things going on, family meals, arguments over the bathroom, that type of thing?"

Remembering some of the epic battles Santana waged with her over the bathroom when they first got adopted and she grinned before nodding in agreement. Will smiled back in acknowledgement and carried on with his explanation.

"Okay well see, here's the thing. Rachel _doesn't _have that, her family may be one of the richest in the USA but when it comes to the stuff money cant buy she's poor. And it's not because of a lack of love as both her parents worship her _but_, for the last five or six years they see each other _maybe _four times a year, less if she's competing. She knows about family but in an abstract way, because of her dedication to skating she didn't attend a regular high school or college, she was home tutored…she really doesn't know _how _to react to people."

Frowning thoughtfully Quinn remembered when she was on the streets for those few short months before the cops put her into the kid's home. A lot of the old timers were like that, they had been out of society for so long that if anyone _ever _actually acknowledged them directly for anything more than it took to wordlessly deposit change in a mug or paper cup, they freaked and ran. Admittedly it was an extreme example but it helped her to understand Rachel a bit more and she half smiled at Will before clearing her throat.

"I think I get it, and don't worry I'm just frustrated is all, I'm _not _gonna leave her okay, but with Finn here…well I don't need to be around _that _sort of treacle thick schmaltz, so thanks for the time off, be nice to visit the family anyway, even Santana I guess."

Will laughed and although he had never met the fiery Latina face to face he had heard plenty about her from the hockey player and so he appreciated the remark from an observers point of view. Hiking her duffle bag once more, Quinn headed back to her bungalow and loaded up a rucksack with enough bits to last her the weekend. Then grabbing her crash helmet from the coat hooks she strapped the bag to herself securely (there were many things you could accuse Quinn Fabray of being cavalier about but bike safety wasn't one of them) and headed out to her bike. As she fastened her helmet she could see Rachel standing by the lake in the distance and holding that oafish giant's hand, she felt the unwanted pang of pain in her stomach again and swallowed it down with a scowl. She had no idea (she _did _but ignorance was bliss) why she kept getting these feelings around Rachel and suddenly she couldn't get out of there fast enough. Noticing the little diva look up as she turned the key she made a point of revving the bike loudly before pulling away with a screech that left a deep black streak of rubber behind her, she was immensely proud of herself for not looking back to see if it had gotten Rachel's attention (Because checking the wing mirror _totally _didn't count!)

By the lake Finn frowned when he noticed that Rachel bit her lip and let out a small sigh when she saw the bike roaring away. The brunette's hand tightened momentarily in his and she had _that _look, the one he was getting too familiar with, the one that she mustered right before the curtain fell down across her eyes and _no one_, especially him could work out what it meant.

"Rach, what's wrong…I mean you guys had a fight yeah, but it was a stupid one and she _kinda _deserved it."

He actually flinched when she turned to face him so swiftly that the free flowing strands of hair made a very distinctive swishing sound.

"_What _do you mean by that Finn, you only just met her!"

Finn may not have been the brightest bulb in the chandelier but he also _wasn't _entirely dumb and swallowing hard he tried to recover.

"Rach I…um, I just meant she was being an asshole and you were right to call her on it, I don't see the problem with this, you always fight with your partners and the only difference with this one is she has boobs."

He finished it with his signature dopey smile and waited for her to laugh and agree with him as usual, needless to say he was shocked when instead of the approval and forgiveness he expected, he felt Rachel rip her hand from his and turn to face him, her eyes flashing angrily.

_Uh oh __**scary **__Rachel!_

With her hands propped on her hips angrily Rachel was unaware of the fact that her behaviour was odd to Finn. Dimly she realised it _was _very different and even if she had realised that, it was doubtful she would have been willing to face the real reason as to _why _she felt the way she did. Quinn just…made her feel things that she hadn't felt before, and she made her feel them more sharply than she ever had anything else, it was entirely unnerving.

"_Don't _make judgements Finn Hudson, you don't even know Quinn and what she has had to live through to be the person she is! Also the relationship I have with my skating partner has _nothing _to do with you, yes we fight but we make up again and for your information despite the fact she has boobs, as you _so _astutely pointed out, she happens to be the best skater I have _ever _been partnered with!"

She didn't realise that her voice had become little more than a yell by that point, until of course she realised Finn's eyes were wide and blinking at her sudden and unwarranted outburst, before she could apologise or make it worse however he jumped in with a hurried apology.

"Okay, Rachel I'm _sorry _I was just saying is all! But you're right I _don't _know anything about the skating between you two and I'll stay out of it…but she did sort of start insulting me as soon as I walked in you know."

As he mumbled that last part, Rachel's mouth snapped closed and she realised that _yes_, Quinn had in fact started sniping at Finn on sight and the realisation brought a frown to her previously angered features. Although the hockey player wasn't the most open when it came to meeting new people, so far she had maintained an almost casual approach and there had been no conflict but now…for no reason, she had started on Finn. At the realisation she felt a strange swarm of emotions ranging from a certain kind of pleasure that maybe they were _both _acting out of character (and what that might mean) to confusion as to why, and finally, _maybe _a small kernel of hope…that she quickly had to smother, she had Finn after all and Quinn wasn't the type to even consider a relationship, plus of course she was gay and Rachel was…_well _Rachel had Finn! She forced a smile and after a moment nodded stiffly.

"I realise that yes, she _was _a little out of order and so…um so was _I _Finn and for that I apologise. Things have just been a bit stressful recently, we have a competition in a few months and with Quinn coming from a hockey background training has been rather full on."

Feeling things were at least approaching an almost normal level, Finn just smiled and took her hand again.

"Well then let's just make the most of the unexpected weekend your fathers have granted us and relax then yeah? It's going to be the most rest I'll get now till _after _Christmas probably, now the Europeans have moved the meeting time to the thanksgiving weekend the timetable has been shifted up."

They were walking back to the house and Rachel was trying her best to slide into her relaxed mode when she heard what he had _actually _said and turned to him again in a mix of shock and disappointment.

"You mean they will be _working _over thanksgiving weekend, they never work that weekend ever! It's always been the one time that was sacrosanct!"

The tall guy shifted awkwardly on his feet and gave a half shrug, he _knew _this might upset her because her fathers had hinted as much and had told him not to let it slip but he hadn't realised what he was saying until it was too late and now he had to try and fix it.

"Well it wasn't planned Rach, but the Europeans don't like, celebrate it for some reason and so it was the best weekend for them when they could all attend and so it _had _to be scheduled for then. Plus I mean you're kinda _old _now and it shouldn't matter as much."

It sounded reasonable enough to him so he couldn't understand it when the diva's brown eyes flashed angrily and she shoved him away from her before turning on her heel and stamping away. He stood bemused for a moment and then hurried after her, _already _composing his next round of apologies and wondering all the time why a relationship had to be this _hard_!

Quinn had lost track of _exactly _how much she'd drunk, how many women she had kissed, or had let kiss her, or how many pairs of panties she had had her hand down that night. Currently she was in an alley, the fresh blood on her temple and throbbing in her hand reminded her that she _must _have been in a fight for some reason and _that _was why she had been unceremoniously tossed out of the club on her ass. Now if only she could remember _why _she had been fighting and where the hell she was she could make a plan about how to get home. Her confused thoughts sharply focused when a familiar voice broke through the fog, a very _angry _familiar voice…Santana.

"For fucks sake Quinn, you're back _one _night, _one _sodding night and you end up in as much trouble as usual! Are you _trying _to get arrested and give mom a heart attack, is that it?"

Her hackles rising at the suggestion she would wish their mom or their ma any harm, Quinn levered herself to her feet and formed her hands into fists on instinct, _when cornered always come out fighting_, words she lived by and tonight was no exception.

"Fuck you Santana, what should it matter to you _what _I do…you were on a nice date with your little cashier that you can take home to mom and show off with!"

The Latina frowned in confusion and putting her hands on her hips glared back.

"What the _hell _does Brittany have to do with this, and might I add the next time I catch you trying to grind up on her I wont listen when she tells me _not _to smash your damn head through the glass bar!"

Quinn snorted and spat at Santana's feet angrily.

"Fuck you…_Puta_!"

_That _was it, that was the step too far that Santana _knew _Quinn was heading for all night, if she weren't so angry with the hard headed hockey player she would feel sorry for her. Despite all the anger management classes and therapy sessions that Quinn had been _forced _to attend, she couldn't let go of her anger and bitterness and it always exploded on nights like this. The only difference was their was always a trigger and for the life of her Santana couldn't work out what the trigger was this time but she was damn well _gonna _find out, after she corrected her errant sisters behaviour that was.

Quinn wasn't _quite _sure what had happened, one minute she was facing off against her angry sister and the next she was breathless and flat on her back and a familiar yet annoying throbbing pain was starting up in her jaw, she attempted to speak but when she went to move her jaw the pain flashed white hot. Whether it was the pain that finally did it, the feel of the wet asphalt littered with broken glass and garbage that was digging into her back faintly _or _the fact she had called her sister by the one name she _knew _the Latina hated she would never know, but all at once and for the first time since she was six years old Quinn Fabray was crying, bawling in fact.

If the revelation took _her _off guard it completely floored Santana who was in a half crouch bent down to pick up the hockey player and smack her again, the tears stopped that abruptly however and she let her hand fall from the girls shirt front in shock. Quinn never cried, like ever! she hadn't cried when their mom had been shot, when she had learnt her father was on death row now, not _even _when she had the shit kicked out of her in prison. All those times and Santana had _never _seen her sister cry, but now she was and the Latina didn't have a single clue as to why! She glared at her fisted hand for a moment angrily as though _it _were to blame, then recalled that she and Quinn brawled _all _the time so that couldn't be it, dimly she became aware of Brittany coming up behind her and she turned to the blonde, asking her to fetch the car.

For a while after that things were a complete blur, they managed to get Quinn _into _the car but the blonde wouldn't stop crying. Brittany drove them back home and Santana sat in the back looking shell shocked as she held the weeping hockey player close to her and wondered what the heck had actually happened to finally break the girl like this. As soon as they got in the door they realised silence wasn't an option as Quinn's soul wrenching sobs filled the house, the Latina _tried _to quiet her but realised it was too late when she saw her mom's door open and the chair roll out…followed by her ma, which a distant part of her grinned at the sight of (looked like things were improving between the two of _them _at least) they took one look at Quinn then at each other before nodding slightly and separating, Sofia went to the kitchen and Lily went to Santana and Quinn.

"What _happened _San?"

Blinking the dazed look from her eyes Santana ran her hands through her hair and blowing out a breath she spoke stiltedly.

"Usual night out with Quinn mom, she drank too much, got laid more times than a roll of carpet and pissed people off…but then shit got _weird_."

Pausing to slap the Latina up the side of the head with a muttered reminder about language in the house, Lily then sat and prompted her for more as she held the trembling hockey player who was now lying on the sofa with her head in her mom's lap.

"She…got thrown out of the bar for brawling with a guy and I went out as _usual_, mainly to yell at her for ruining my date and she…called me something, I reacted and she hit the deck, but instead of fighting back she just…"

Unable to vocalise quite what happened because she didn't actually know she just waved her bruised hand vaguely in Quinn's direction. Lily sighed internally as she had been wondering when this would _finally _happen, as had Sofia, she was just glad it happened when Quinn was home instead of God knew where with God knew who, _now _to figure out what or who had caused it.

"Okay, we can handle it from here, why don't you drive Brittany home chica and we'll see to Quinn. _You _didn't do anything wrong, this is way overdue baby."

Nodding faintly Santana decided for her own sanity it was best to defer to her mom's for once, and while she may have _some _things in common with Quinn from a foster kid's point of view it was her mom's that had been on the courses and they obviously _knew _what was going on which meant they were definitely more than able to handle whatever was happening. Without further ado she snatched up her jacket again but paused by the door.

"Tell her I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…just tell her…"

She had difficulty saying the words 'I love her' but smiling fondly Lily just nodded and lifted a hand to silence the struggling Latina.

"She knows, but of course I'll remind her now go…and if you aren't coming home remember to text so I don't _worry_!"

The blonde haired cop tried _not _to laugh aloud as she faintly heard the retreating Latina muttering in her native Spanish about embarrassing parents and bad timing. After a while Sofia came back in with a tray of hot drinks and the first aid case as well as a bedraggled stuffed turtle that was no bigger than the palm of her hand. Lily smiled softly at her wife and taking the turtle she wordlessly held it out to Quinn, there was a moments silence then a bruised hand reached out and snatched it up, snuggling it against her cheek. Sofia poured them all a tea and just waited, eventually the hockey player sat up revealing red rimmed eyes, a swollen jaw and a grazed temple where she had obviously hit the asphalt when she got tossed out of the club.

For a moment there was silence and the hockey player accepted the hot mug of camomile tea and added a spoon of honey before sipping with a small wince as her jaw twinged at the action. She held still while Sofia cleaned the graze on her head and applied steri-strips to the deepest part of the wound, she then broke and shook an ice pack before handing it to Quinn who held it against her jaw between sips of the calming tea. It was a long time before she finally spoke and it was muffled from the ice pack and swelling.

"I thought I told you guys to throw _Urtle _out."

Both her parents smiled softly at her and Sofia shook her head slightly as Lily talked, looking at the bedraggled piece of cloth as she did so.

"Sweetheart it was the _only _thing you had kept from your previous life, you had it when the cops found you and put you in the kids home and you refused to leave it behind. You _only _told us to throw him out when Santana found it and asked you about him, of _course _we were going to keep him."

Nodding faintly, Quinn remembered her last interaction with her adopted sister and flinching slightly opened her mouth to ask what had happened, before she could however, her mom spoke.

"She's _fine _and she told me to remind you that she loves you…_even _when you're acting like an asshole."

The hockey player smiled lopsidedly and nodded faintly as she accepted the Advil Sofia handed her, after swallowing them down the fire officer spoke while Lily continued to run a hand soothingly over their daughters brow.

"What happened Qball? You never let anything get to you like this before and _especially _not Santana so talk to us and let us help…after all this time _what's _got to you?"

Quinn sat back on the sofa and waited until she had her mom on one side of her and her ma sat on the other, then she spoke quietly, it had taken Santana punching her in the face to realise it all, but things were suddenly _clear _in her mind and that made her both scared…terrified actually if she was honest, and maybe a little bit…hopeful?

"I _think_…that I might have, maybe, _perhaps _broken my own rule number one and I have no idea how I let it happen."

Over her head Sofia's eyes met Lily's in a knowing look but they remained silent and it was the cop that continued softly.

"Rule number one? You let someone in didn't you,…you _love _someone."

Shifting awkwardly in her seat Quinn chewed on her lower lip as she finally got ready to say the words out loud, it seemed bigger than anything she had ever had to admit before. In contrast the fact she had had admitted to being a victim of abuse or a thief seemed easy. With a slow exhale she nodded, almost to herself, and eventually murmured.

"I fell in love with my skating partner, I mean…I _am _in love with her! She infuriates me, annoys me, and yet I cant get her or her stupid amazing eyes and irritating but entrancing voice out of my mind. She's the _last _thing on my mind before I sleep and the _first _thing I think of in the morning, its clichéd and annoying but as much as I try and ignore it it's also _true_."

The weight she felt leave her chest after confessing that _almost _made it worth it, almost but not completely, especially when her ma reminded her of why by asking.

"So what's the problem then? I mean is it a professional thing, or just because you broke your own code without knowing why?"

Quinn squeezed the threadbare turtle in her hand and smiled faintly at the worn black thread on it's mouth that was stitched in a smile, sighing she looked at the tea in her other hand and after a sip she spoke quietly.

"She's…rich, smart, an honest person with a nice warm family life and knows _nothing _about the sort of shit I lived through and had to do to survive. She is engaged and her guy is…well he's an _idiot _but I guess that maybe he appeals to women somehow, he has the whole tall jock thing with the cute smile going for him at least."

She sipped more tea and waited for a long moment before frowning and then rushing on ahead, maybe she _was _hoping and reaching for the stars but maybe…just _maybe _there was something there that was worth fighting for, something they _both _felt.

"So it seems like it's a lost cause right? But then there are times she does stuff and things she says that make me think that it _isn't _beyond the realms of possibility and maybe she would like me back. Then of course I remember that I'm a freaking drop out with a criminal record and all the charm of a hung over hooker in the drunk tank on boxing day."

Both older women grimaced at that, Lily had worked her fair share of Christmas holiday's and so had Sofia so they both knew _exactly _what Quinn meant. Just as they were both saddened by the fact that the blonde hockey player also knew that. Clearing her throat Lily spoke, she had to be careful with this because she didn't want to offer false hope, but she _also _didn't want to shoot down the first thing that the blonde hockey player had ever shown any real emotion over, _especially _if there was a chance that it could end in a happily ever after.

"Quinn…when myself and your ma met, we were both dating guys, we thought we were happy and we weren't even thinking about anyone else. Initially we met at the scene of a suspected arson and…_well, _to be honest we argued, quite loudly."

Sofia chuckled at the memory and nodded at Quinn's surprised look.

"Yeah, _she _wanted to trample all over my scene before I even registered arson was a definite and she accused _me _of doing the same thing, it was odd because this tug of war between the police and fire departments had _always _existed, but I had never argued that vociferously before and judging by Lil's partners face she hadn't either."

Remembering the cod fish impression that Scotty had been doing throughout the course of the heated exchange, the blonde cop smirked and nodded in agreement.

"Exactly…and long story short, here we all are now. What I'm _trying _to say is that sometimes, and in my experience it's always at the _best _of times…love strikes you completely unaware and even if you're walls are higher than Jack's beanstalk and thicker than your high school detention file it will _still _get through."

Rubbing her eyes with a faint smile Quinn realised she had been about to put her thumb in her mouth and flushing bright red consciously kept it at her side. Ignoring the small and sad smile the two women didn't even try to hide, Sofia took up the narrative again.

"The truth is that love when it's in it's purest and most powerful form knows _no _boundaries, we didn't think of ourselves as gay, straight or even bisexual…we were just _us _and then bam, at the most unlikely of places we both got felled by love. So you may be right and you may be just dreaming and nothing could come of this."

Even though the conversation wasn't over Quinn felt a small part of her break inside at the thought it was indeed the truth and she had no hope, this time she _didn't _fight her impulse and the hand that held the bedraggled Urtle lifted and she stuck her thumb in her mouth feeling the odd sense of comfort she had denied herself for so long, closing her eyes as the soft worn material of Urtle lay against her cheek, Lily's soft voice carrying on.

"But if there _is _a chance Quinn, if there is just a _tiny _chance of that love being returned and becoming a reality then isn't it worth maybe taking the chance?"

The odd moment of pain in her chest turned into a surge of hope and she reopened her eyes to look between her adopted mothers before speaking warily around the thumb in her mouth.

"But I mean…how would I find out, she _already _thinks I'm a jackass and I made sure she definitely saw the worst of me. But…I also told her stuff about me, about my…about Russell and I _never _do that."

Sofia nodded faintly and the two women adjusted so Quinn was lying down between them, her head in Lily's lap and her legs resting across Sofia's.

"Well then, you _already _started to make the move towards letting her know _you_."

As the hockey players mouth opened to protest the fire officer forged on, unwilling to let the impossibly damaged and yet strong girl fall back on self loathing.

"Yes you _have _Quinn, and I don't mean the drinking, womanising idiotic you. I mean the _real _you, the one you wont let anyone see because you are too afraid to let people in just in case they start to chip away at the ice you packed your heart in…but here's the thing, _Rachel _got in there without any effort didn't she?"

Hesitating the hockey player curled her fingers around Urtle more tightly then nodded in confirmation, Sofia smiled softly and Lily spoke.

"That's because she may very well be _the one _kiddo, every so often someone comes along and as much as you fight it, as much as you struggle with it, there's no way you can beat it, no way on _earth_. And she can get to you because deep down inside there's a part of you that recognises her and _wants _her to connect."

Lily carried on talking but her eyes locked with those of her wife as she remembered a conversation so very long ago, similar situation but it had been _her _in Quinn's position and Sofia was the one with the level head who had managed to explain what they were _both _going through, now she recalled, and dutifully repeated, those words of wisdom and hoped that they would get through to Quinn. Even if Rachel _wasn't _her other half (though judging by the strong reactions in the usual recalcitrant blonde it was pretty obvious she was) it would at least help open her up to the _possibility _of love later on.

"You aren't the _usual _type of closed off personality, Santana for instance, has walls higher and tougher than Fort Knox, but she's _also _as open as Santa's grotto with people she trusts. You, on the other hand, have walls no one has been able to get past yet because they don't _look _like walls in the classical sense. They aren't high and foreboding and obviously there…they are more of a mural, painted with happy scenes and laughter so no one _knows _it's just a wall, a mask, a way of keeping yourself protected, they get as far as the wall and think they know you. Rachel has got past that wall and she knows it for the bullshit it is…and _that _scares you as much as it pleases you. Because deny it as much as you want but you have wanted someone to see past that wall for ages, and better yet to walk straight through it as though it doesn't exist…the scary part is now that someone _has _you haven't got a clue what to do next."

Sofia spared a wink for Lily before they both switched their gaze to the hockey player who looked thoughtful as she sucked on her thumb and blinked still damp eyes.

"So…not that I'm _agreeing _with you about the whole walls that aren't walls thing but…how should I be, next I mean."

Sofia chuckled softly at Quinn's attempt to avoid the obvious and _fully _concede to the analogy, nevertheless she sighed and answered her.

"Be yourself, continue to show her the _real _you, be honest with her, tell her what you feel when you feel it, say things when you think them, so long as they aren't crude that is, just stop hiding from her, from you and from what _you _want."

The hockey player took her thumb from her mouth and sitting up with a wince she drained the last of her camomile tea and nodded slightly, more to herself than to her mom's. After a moment she stood up and smiled shakily.

"I think I should get to sleep now but…thanks, for all _this _you know. It makes sense and I know that I may have kept you guys out, on the wrong side of those walls so to speak and I want you to know I never meant anything by it but…"

Lily held a hand up to halt the rambling and smiled gently.

"It's _okay_, sometimes people get into certain parts of you but not all, you only know it's _truly _love when you realise there isn't a part of you can hide from the other person. We don't feel any disappointment or anger in you baby. If anything we feel a certain amount of pride that you knew enough to _realise _something had changed and came home."

Acknowledging that it _was _indeed the reason she had returned home Quinn smiled shyly and ducked her head as she fondly toyed with Urtle's floppy legs.

"I don't tell you guys enough how much I love you and how much you mean to me but, you know you saved me right? Despite how bad my behaviour sometimes is I want you to _know _that. You _saved _me…just as you saved S and Dave."

Sofia managed to formulate a reply despite the lump in her throat whereas Lily _just _about managed to muster a smile and hide her tears of happiness and love for the hockey player, and indeed all of their kids.

"We know kiddo, now go to sleep okay, I'll leave you some water and painkillers when I go past later because you are _bound _to have a hell of a hangover in the morning."

Nodding slightly she stood there for a moment longer, seemingly caught in another quandary before swiftly and without a word leaning down and pressing a child like kiss to first her mother and then her ma's cheek before heading off towards her room and closing the door softly. Lily blinked in shock and glanced to her equally as stunned wife before she cleared her throat and managed to say.

"I…wow maybe we _are _actually good at this parenting stuff after all?"

Smiling, Sofia leant down and placed a _far _from chaste kiss on her wife's mouth before pulling back enough to murmur.

"I always knew we were good together, now how about you let me help you back to bed and show me a little more of what's behind _your _walls before we have to officially get up and deal with the aftermath of tonight?"

Normally the very word '_help' _coming from her wife would send Lily into a withdrawal from the woman she loved, but maybe their talk with Quinn had helped _more _than just the hockey player, and so to her own and her wife's surprise she held her arms out and smirked.

"If you think you're up to the job, fire Inspector Curtis-Rush!"

Sofia really didn't need any more of an invitation than that and she grinned widely, unaware of the tears of happiness trailing down her fine cheeks as she carried Lily back to their bedroom.

_Hurrah I finally managed another chapter and if you knew what I had been up against you would know how much of a miracle that is lol. As a brief scene setting I shall break it down for ya'll…finally went back to work which has been great so far, and also got my next round of appointments through so Yay, then I managed to run over my toes with the manual forklift and my big toe is now black, then I broke my thumb again when boxes fell on me from the truck (oh yeah I shoulda mentioned that Ravenclaw Quinn's clumsiness __**totally **__comes from me lol) so, great in that I can still type but sucks in that I cannot play Gotham City for even longer or the new Ace Combat which I'm especially annoyed about as my joystick finally got here too so grrr! And also saw the latest glee and the travesty they are still perpetrating on the character of Quinn which caused more grrr. LOL however this is done and next is RBR with the infamous song to establish New Directions as no longer bottom of the food chain! So look out for that and in the meantime avoid forklifts and boxes…trust me! Love to you all xxx_


	7. Chapter 7

_Be yourself_…great advice, well, _maybe _it would be great advice if Quinn could work out exactly who the hell she was! It wasn't that she didn't _want _to change, okay, maybe in a way the thought was a little terrifying. After all, when she acted like an ass and _still _got the ladies then it was good, and the few times she struck out were _because _of the very fact she was an ass. If she were herself and still got shot down, well, that would hurt, as in putting a hand with a paper cut on it in a packet of salt and vinegar chips type hurt…sharp and persistent. At least the weather was perfect for biking and she was taking the opportunity to drive a little slower than she normally would, because there was just _something _about the autumnal colours of the leaves reflecting the suns rays brightly that made her feel content, hopeful even. She always had loved this time of year more than any other and had often thought that if she _were _to fall in love it would most likely be in the fall…she hadn't been wrong.

She liked Rachel…or to be more accurate she loved her or thoughts he did, and if she didn't yet then she was more than three quarters of the way there already. _But_,it was important to emphasise the fact she _liked _her as well. After all, you could love someone but dislike them intensely, just as you could really like someone but find them annoying and unbearable to be around. Relationships were _weird _and that was one reason (among the very many she had) that Quinn had always made sure to steer clear of them, the only ones she had ever seen had ended badly, in tears and pain at best…blood and bullets at worst. Some of the things that the hockey player had seen and heard were downright vile and it had caused her to hesitate. Rachel was…_well _she was everything that Quinn would _never _be.

The blonde adjusted her hands within their riding gloves and toggled the control on the handle that operated the radio inside her crash helmet, _definitely _time to distract herself with some music and as they were currently playing the AC/DC back catalogue it seemed a _perfect _method of distraction. She wanted to be with Rachel more than anything she had ever wanted before, she could admit to that, _now _at least, but she also didn't want to hurt the diva. Not out of some sense of over protectiveness, because it was clear as crystal that Rachel Berry was _no _pushover! She just wanted to protect her from the dark places in her own mind, so far she had been a pro at keeping _everyone _away from them, which is why she preferred to keep things simple. Love _always _screwed things up, always did and always would.

Sighing she kicked the bike up into fifth and piled on a bit more speed, it was just typical that the first person that managed to get through her defences would be someone she simultaneously wanted and yet _not _wanted. Sighing within the confines of her crash helmet Quinn tried to find one example, just _one _time in her past when trust had paid off. She didn't count her mom's or siblings because…well actually she didn't _know _why, maybe because they were something she had never tried for or wanted they had just _happened_. One minute she was on the street, sleeping in the basement generator room of a block of flats with shitty security, and the next she was trying to keep her head above water in a children's home. Shortly after that the cop who busted her turned up and adopted her and then she gained the one damn thing that had gone right so far in her life.

But love, well _that _was something else, the kind of love it took to let someone in…to allow them to see the dark parts as well as the fun and frivolous ones that resided in your soul, that was…an _epic _amount of trust to place in someone. People _thought _they knew Quinn but in a way her mom was right, they only knew the Quinn that she _let _them see, none of them knew, for instance, that even now, _years _after being adopted and brought into a warm and loving home, that she still slept with a baseball bat under her mattress and kept a getaway bag at the bottom of her closet _just in case_. They didn't know she was still scared to sleep without some kind of light on or that she had to keep her back to the wall and her eyes on the door. They didn't know that she was in major love with turtles, tortoises and terrapins of all shapes and sizes and if things were different she would love to have worked in a zoo with the fascinating creatures. They didn't know that _every _time she saw an obviously much loved and treasured toy in a lost and found bin that it made her sad, or that she hated the thought of any animal ever being hurt because it made her cry and she couldn't watch news stories about it.

Gritting her teeth Quinn flexed her legs out either side of the bike to ease cramping muscles and wished for a moment she wasn't riding so she could run her hands through her hair or rub the back of her neck in her usual mannerism when she was frustrated. Maybe she would just…_take it slowly_, as in _snail _slow, no wait! Snail on the back of a really old arthritic tortoise slow (she then ended up sidetracking herself for a good ten minutes wondering if tortoises even _got _arthritis) but yeah, _that _was a nice and slow speed that wouldn't get anyone hurt. Besides, if that idiot man child was still there it would be a heck of a lot easier if she just avoided Rachel altogether, as then she wouldn't _have _to think about the fact she was falling for her skating partner or the fact she would happily skate right over the Sasquatch's face…repeatedly!

Sadly, the ride was coming to an end as she was only about ten miles from what _she _personally thought of as the 'Spencer Mansion' a joke that Rachel didn't get, and one of the reasons Quinn _knew _she had it bad for Rachel, because when the diva looked at her blankly instead of spouting out the entire history of the fictional mansion and it's contribution to one of the greatest gaming franchises ever (something she normally would have done without a seconds hesitation, I mean come on who hadn't heard of _Resident Evil_?)…she had _instead _just thought how cute the diva looked with that minute half frown adorning her brows. She decided to head straight for the rink as soon as she saw the lights of the big house in the distance, hoping against hope that the coach was still away for the weekend with Shannon and that Rachel was…well, _Hell _that Rachel was just _anywhere _but on the rink. Back home when she got frustrated as Hell she would hit the ice and smash a few pucks into the net…she still wanted to hit the rink but she had different intentions this time, ones she was partly embarrassed about and partly excited about.

The rink was in darkness as she pulled up outside her bungalow and getting off the bike she let out a low groan and stretched her muscles before heading inside to dump off her bags and take off her riding leathers. Once she was in just her ripped jeans and an old check shirt of Santana's she grabbed her skating equipment duffel and headed towards the rink. There was luckily no sign of life inside, and in the far reaches of the Berry mansion she could _just _see a light on where Rachel's rooms were so she assumed that the diva was snuggled up nicely with the dumb Sasquatch. Quinn physically shuddered at that thought, not that she was like some rabid man hater, I mean you can always appreciate a nicely put together body no matter _what _the sex, for instance Quinn found Jason Statham _totally _hot, she wouldn't sleep with him, but _definitely _hot, same went for David Boreanaz, hot but _not _to sleep with, good ideas for sperm donors maybe…shaking her head at herself wryly (_Geez Fabray, you haven't even got the girl yet and you're thinking about sperm donors for kids?_) she headed into the rink and hit the lights with a dramatic flourish and slight grin.

As usual she felt _something _within her calm as the lights flooded the rink, lighting it up as her own private haven that night. She was glad to be partnered with a rich skater at times like these. Back home she would have to pay some _major _dough or break in after closing hours to have the rink to herself, but here, every time insomnia hit (and it hit more often than she ever let on) she could just walk a few yards and _bam_! She was on the ice and on her own. Letting out a breath she walked over to the comfy corner area and dumped her bag down, slipping her I Pod from her pocket she powered up the docking station and after pocketing the remote sat down to lace her skates on. This was _definitely _something new when it came to blowing off steam and to be honest she had no idea how it was going to go but she just sort of…_felt it _calling to her as she drove home and with one last dry chuckle at her own foolishness she stood up and made sure the correct track was cued and ready to go. The song itself had been stuck in her head for the last several miles home and it felt kind of appropriate.

She was curious about exactly _what _she had learned and how well she could put it together, another little known fact about Quinn Fabray was her reliance on music. She remembered hearing one particular song _years _ago, even before her mother had left, she had little to no real memories of the woman but she _did _remember how much she had loved _Elton John_, and even now every time she heard the guy she could smell whisky and dope. But he sang this one song called '_Sad Songs_' and it said basically everything _she _wanted to say about how important music was to her. It was a conduit, to _her _emotions, to _other _peoples emotions, it provided a safe way of delving into the murky quagmire of the human condition.

Letting out a breath she remembered that song and hummed it lightly to herself, music was a universal language, not in the literal sense perhaps like say _Maths _was. But the thing is, it didn't matter how you felt, what mood you were shooting for there was a song to fit it. That was why Quinn in particular held music in a very high esteem, for instance, if she came home and her dad was playing '_The Doors_' it meant that no matter _what _she did right or wrong that day she was gonna get thrashed at some point, consequently that band to her translated as despair, unfairness and danger. _But, _if he had the Stones or the Beatles on then she could be fairly confident that he would pay little to no attention to her and that she could relax for the rest of the day.

Throughout the years the one thing that had kept Quinn going when she had been near to giving up, homeless, cold, hungry…when she'd _actually _considered selling herself just to have a bed for the night that was safe and warm, it was _music _that kept her spirits up. Being homeless _had _had its upside in that she had been exposed to so many varieties of music. Before she'd ran from the mobster her father had sold her to she had mainly been exposed to soft rock, sixties, seventies and eighties music. But when she'd been on the streets and spent time with the buskers and pan handlers she had also experienced world music, Cuban, Latin, African, Street Rap as well as Jazz, Blues, Country and Metal. And _all _of it had it's good and bad sides, there were some styles she loved and some that she hated but every time she heard something new she felt _alive_, worldly…like she was part of something. So when Quinn listened to music, she _REALLY _listened to music.

Skating out to the centre of the rink she took up a starting position and for a moment wondered _exactly _how she was going to do this. She figured it would be familiar to anything else, in that she just had to relax and then _let _the music in, the rest would just…hit her, get inside of her and then she would let it back out using what she had learnt so far. Or at least she _hoped _that would be how it worked, if not she could end up looking like a _complete _fuckwit, hence the not wanting anybody else to witness this. Plus of course she wanted to find out how much she _had _actually retained and whether or not she could string it together without killing herself or her partner.

Secretly she would confess to herself that she was kind of intimidated by Rachel on the ice, the girl was so fluid and magical it was like she was _in _the music, already a part of it without needing to try. And the one thing Quinn had already decided was that even if she and Rachel were never going to be anymore than skating partners, she wanted to make sure they were the _best _damn skating partnership they could be! So with one last breath she let the tension out and then lifting the remote pressed play before resting it on the side and closing her eyes as the first few bars of the song she had chosen started to fill the rink…what she _didn't _see was the curious face of Rachel Berry as she leaned on the doorframe watching quietly, with the black robe she had on over her fleece pyjamas she was practically invisible even if Quinn _had _been looking.

_I felt itThe wire touched my neckAnd then someone pulled it tighterI never saw it comingI started to black out andThen someone said good morningI took it as a warningI should have seen it comingSo now I'll take a chance onThis thing we may have startedIntentional or not IDon't think we saw it comingIt's all adding up to somethingThat asks for some involvementThat asks for a commitmentI think I see it comingIf we step out on that limb_

As soon as the lyrics started, Quinn began to move, Hell she began to _skate_! And not _just _skate, she began to dance on ice. It was something she had never dreamt of, even though in reality it was what they were aiming for she had seen herself as being very much the muscle, the support and framework for Rachel to launch herself to greatness, but as she landed her first double axle on flawless feet she didn't even _try _to fight the grin that spread across her face. Planting her skates firmly she started a step sequence on the very tips of the heels and toes of the boots as the next verse started.

_My heartbeat beats me senselesslyWhy's everything got to be so intense with meI'm trying to handle all this unpredictabilityIn all probability_

As she went through the sequence fluidly (But carefully!) she added a twist, and as she went into the finish she not _only _nailed it with perfect balance but got herself into a perfect position to start a run up for when the verse ended and the chorus kicked in._It's a long shot and I say why notIf I say forget it I know that I'll regret itIt's a long shot just to beat these oddsThe chance is we won't make it but I know if I don't take it there's no chance'Cause you're the best I gotSo take a long shot_

As the chorus started Quinn blew a stray strand of hair out of her eyes and felt a joy she hadn't felt in ages as she soared across the ice and into a smooth knee slide, reaching the end of it at the words 'no chance' at that point she effortlessly managed to raise up to both feet again and perform a Choctaw before the word 'shot' had finished._I realize that there is all this doubtingThings we're both scared about but We'll never see them comingThrow caution to the wind andWe'll see what way it's blowingAnd into this fully knowingWe'll never see it comingUntil it's much too close to stop_

Another smooth skate along the ice and a delicate yet perfect single axle jump that moved smoothly into several crossovers in time with the background beat of the tune. On the last crossover Quinn grinned happily at her progress and decided to just go for it and attempt one of the moves she only _ever _managed to nail about half the times she tried it and so, as the next verse started she skated smoothly into a flying spin.

_Oh I waited for fact to come to fictionAnd you fit my descriptionI never saw you comingBut we'll make it_

The jump was landed but it wasn't one hundred percent smooth, there _was _a slight wobble and she made a mental note to work on correcting that later. She didn't dwell on it however as she started working on some of the footwork moves coach Schu had been showing them, she adjusted the timing of them to fit the tempo of the song and even threw in a few finger snaps as she let the melody fully take her._You didn't expect thisOh you never saw me comingYou didn't expect thisOh you never saw this comingI take a long shotI take a long shot, shot, shot, shot'Cause you're the best I gotOh I'm taking this chance on you babyI'm taking this chance on you babyI'm taking this chance_

As the song started to wind down Quinn moved through a few more moves she either wanted to try and polish or just plain old wanted to try, she _also _realised she was singing along with it which was akin to a miracle given the exertion that had gone into the skating alone. Skating a smooth loop she moved into a scratch spin that lasted until the last note of the song sounded at which point she came out of it abruptly and ended with one leg stretched out so the toe pick dug into the ice and her hand rested on the opposite hip. After a moment she laughed, at the sheer _joy _of making it without landing on her face, _and _the sheer joy she _hadn't _expected, at being able to express herself that way.

"_Wow_, you looked like a serious ice dancing threat out there Gretzky."

The voice that sounded from the (Quinn finally noticed) ajar door to the main house was only _mildly _amused, but _heavily _impressed and that was good, Hell that was _fantastic _because that was what Quinn was trying to be, what they _both _needed to be. The timing of the diva's speech however, and more importantly the _lack _of announcement _before _she spoke, sucked big time and Quinn Fabray who had just managed a four minute solo ice dance lost all her poise and grace as she yelped and started in shock, ending up on her ass on the ice. Rachel clapped a hand to her mouth and her eyes widened as she saw the hockey player go down and without thinking she slithered out onto the ice in her…tiger feet slippers?

"What the _fuck _are you wearing on your feet Princess?"

That was the only thing then dazed blonde could actually focus on as she watched her dark haired partner slide over the ice towards her. However, as experienced as Rachel Berry _was _on the ice she had never tried to walk across the rink before in furry slippers and was slightly more clumsy while doing so than Quinn had been when she first put on figure skates…a fact that the blonde _would _have taken great delight in pointing out, _if _the diva hadn't been headed straight for her. It didn't even happen fast, in fact it was almost comically slow and Quinn could only get her exhausted hands halfway up to protect herself before Rachel let out an entirely inelegant snort crossed with a yelp and landed on top of the hockey player. She glared down at the smirking Quinn.

"I _was _coming out to see if you were okay because it was certainly _not _my intention to startle you to the extent you tripped over your own clown sized feet Gretzky!"

A delicate blonde eyebrow arched and although Quinn was going to try her best to _not _be such an annoying ass to the brunette skater, this opportunity was just too good to miss so with her eyebrow still arched she glanced pointedly at Rachel's hands which had landed (purely coincidentally, she was sure) on Quinn's chest.

"You _sure _that's all you came out here for Princess?"

The brunettes eyes widened and she gave _another _yelp as she abruptly pulled her hands off of the hockey player and placed them either side of her head before narrowing her eyes.

"You have _nothing _under your shirt that I'm interested in, believe me!"

The words cut a bit more deeply than they should and Quinn found herself looking away to try and mask the feeling, she knew from things Santana had yelled at her in the heat of arguments that her eyes revealed too much of her feelings, so she wanted to keep them _out _of Rachel's line of sight. She sighed and slid herself out from under the diva smoothly, once on her feet she offered her hand and muttered.

"I know…it's called a _joke_, sorry, I'll try and lighten up on them I know you don't like me making jokes, especially lewd ones…or was it crude? one or the other."

She pulled a face as she spoke to convey thought and amusement, mild and _safe _amusement that is, as she offered her hand again. She hoped if she kept her comments light enough Rachel wouldn't think too much about her unusual reaction. For _her _part Rachel was confused,…confused as to why Quinn had backed away from their usual back and forth banter and confused as to why the _lack _of that teasing conversation left her feeling empty, sad…and some _other _emotion she couldn't define. She accepted the calloused hand cautiously but all Quinn did was pull her upright gently and smoothly before she sighed and skated closer holding her arms out.

"Come on, let me carry you back over, as amusing as it _is _to see someone as graceful as you fall over on the ice in ludicrous footwear I don't want you getting damaged or Coach Schu _will _kill me."

Rachel rolled her eyes but she also accepted the 'lift' and as she let herself fall into Quinn's arms she hated and yet loved the way she fit there. With Finn she always felt too delicate, like he could break her at any moment with his huge frame and slab of meat hands….when _Quinn _held her however, they just seemed to _fit _naturally, like they were meant to be together…as skaters! She quickly amended her thoughts before her brain fell into the gutter. However much she tried to convince herself it was a dancing partnership _only _she couldn't deny that she hadn't been able to get the hockey player out of her head for the whole half a day Finn had been with her. When _he _took her hand she just felt herself automatically comparing it to Quinn's rougher, yet ironically more delicate ones. When _he _hugged her or put an arm round her it no longer felt right…it felt _ungainly_, too much and suffocating rather than comforting.

As she tried _not _to listen to the thudding of the hockey players still slightly elevated heart rate after her dance, she reminded herself yet again that it was just because she was spending so much time with Quinn. They were skaters and more importantly they were skating _partners _and the fact they fit together so well was down to their intense training. The fact that she had never felt _quite _so right or _quite _so safe with any of her other numerous skating partners was a fact she was trying her hardest to ignore. Because if she stopped ignoring it and actually looked at _why _she felt the way she did around Quinn, why she could never get the irritating, cocky, admittedly charming and yes if she were forced to admit it, devastatingly attractive hockey player out of her mind…then _everything _would change, she could gain everything or she could loose everything and the gamble was just _too _high. Rachel had no poker face so it was better she just didn't enter the game, she had Finn, her fathers thought he was okay and she had a new and potentially amazing skating partner…that would have to do.

"Well, thank you for the lift, admittedly getting back across the ice safely didn't cross my mind when I saw you fall."

Quinn smiled an almost genuine smile as she set Rachel down on the edge of the rink by the comfy corner.

"You _almost _make it sound like you were concerned about my wellbeing there Princess, wouldn't that be against your rules or something."

It should have been a barb, a stinging teasing comment and that was what Rachel expected it to be, she was therefore completely taken off guard when she realised the tone was actually joking as opposed to mocking and maybe, just _maybe _there was a hint of…_hope _in it? Clearing her throat, Rachel found herself fighting a smile as she rolled her eyes without malice.

"Well, it isn't always _my _fault that you fall over but I realised as soon as I spoke that you probably hadn't seen me thanks to the black dressing gown I had on…so this time I felt _slightly _responsible."

Without the biting sarcasm in the conversation Quinn found herself relaxing slightly and suddenly her mom's advice about letting herself just _be _herself didn't seem so difficult, she ran a hand through her hair and smiled slightly.

"Well yeah, you _did _sort of take me off guard I assumed you would be uh…ya know otherwise occupied with…Flint?"

Rachel automatically corrected Quinn.

"Finn."

The hockey player gave a half shrug and mentally high fived herself, thanking Ross Geller for that subtle piece of one up manship.

"Yeah _that _guy, seemed like he was settled in for the weekend and it's only like five on a Sunday evening so I figured you guys would be like…playing chess or something."

Rachel couldn't help herself as she snorted in amusement at the thought of Finn playing chess, however, revealing the reason for her amusement to Quinn was a bit _too _close to picking sides in her mind so she settled for a small smile and shake of her head.

"Chess isn't really Finn's game…he had to go back the evening of the day he arrived unfortunately. Business calls and all that."

She tried to keep her tone light but Quinn was way too street smart to fall for the act and she found herself taking a few steps closer, a part of her wanted to reach out and she _did _in fact lift her arm…and then realised she had no idea _what _to do with it, so lightly buddy punched the bemused diva's shoulder and cleared her throat before saying.

"That sucks…I mean Schu was gone so what did you _do_, I mean you were rattling around in the house on your own?"

Rachel was touched by the understanding in the hockey players voice, _and _unnerved by it but she shrugged nonchalantly as if it was no big thing and forced a smile.

"I'm used to it, my dad's work an awful lot. I sometimes think it amazes even them quite _how _successful the business became, like at heart they're still waiting to wake up and realise it's all a dream and we live somewhere suburban but normal. Finn works in England so I hardly see him but we make it work."

Quinn bit her tongue, she wanted to say _so _much, most of it along the lines of how if _her _fathers owned an international company and all why Finn couldn't pressure them into letting him stay in the states with the girl he was _meant _to love, and so she instead tried to think of something safe to reply to that. She could see out of the corner of her eye that Rachel was looking at her quizzically so she let the first thing out of her mouth uncensored in panic.

"You're braver than me then."

Dark eyebrows shot up in surprise at that admission and the hockey player chewed on her lower lip in a very, _very _rare display of nervousness. Rachel took a moment to filter the comment and she thought carefully about how to reply, she had after all been expecting another attack on Finn and so had queued up in her mind a lot of counter arguments on that point and that point alone. Which as it turned out, were to be completely superfluous as the blonde had surprised her yet _again _that night and the diva wondered idly what exactly had happened on Quinn's journey home.

"How do you come to _that _conclusion?"

Rubbing the back of her neck absentmindedly with one hand Quinn figured she had been honest so far so why stop now and she gave a little half shrug accompanying it with a shy smile as she confessed.

"Ever since that individual the law refers to as my father gave me to that mobster to save his life, silent rooms, _especially _in big houses scare me a little. The guy he gave me to had a huge house set back in some forest land kinda like this and I had a room on one side of it that I couldn't get in and out of unless he unlocked it. Place was always full of stuff I wont go into but…randomly you'd heard people crying, screaming, gunshots and arguing…so whenever I'm somewhere too quiet it…kinda _scares _me."

She'd started off trying to keep it low key, as if it didn't bother her, amusing even…but halfway through she knew she couldn't keep it up and so she'd dropped the act entirely and her tone changed accordingly, dropping until she sounded like the scared ten year old kid she'd been when she'd been in that house, when she finished her hands were in her pockets and she tried a half smile.

"So…to me it _is _brave, how you stay in that house all the time on your own. I mean I know it's different cos it's like your home and not some strangers but…well, ya know."

She trailed off and looked down already cursing herself mentally for being such a fuckwit when she felt a hand on her arm, swallowing slightly she looked up expecting to see…disgust maybe? Or worse, pity, but what she saw almost took her breath away. Rachel was _smiling _at her, a small weak smile but it was genuine and she let out a breath before admitting to the hockey player in a weary voice.

"I _hate _it…being in there alone, I jump at every sound and it just feels so _cold_. There's no life in the place with only me there, even when I try and light all the fires and turn the TV on it's still just empty and now I know that my dad's aren't making it back for Thanksgiving I'm dreading the one holiday I used to love…you know, the one about families."

Quinn was speechless at this point, at the quiet admission of a weakness, after all the way Rachel Berry carried herself you would think the little diva was ten foot tall and bullet proof, but the way she had quietly revealed that little piece of information to the hockey player told a very different story. Now Quinn Fabray had held _many _expensive and precious and sometimes illegal things in her life, from a Colt 45 supposedly owned by Al Capone himself to an Egyptian statue of Ra the sun god that had been one hundred percent genuine, and yet nothing, not _one _of those things were as precious in her mind as the whispered words Rachel had just given her and she swallowed for a moment before blurting.

"!"

The petite skater blinked at the light speed sentence and opened her mouth to say something before realising she had _no _idea what on earth the hockey player had just said! She cleared her throat and with a small smile asked gently.

"Um would you mind repeating that, because no offence Quinn but I _think _that sentence just made the Kessel run in record time."

Forgetting for a moment what she had just asked, the hockey player grinned widely and looked at Rachel with newfound respect.

"Wow did Rachel 'Princess' Berry _just _make a Star Wars reference _and _address me by my given name in the same sentence."

Rachel rolled her eyes good naturedly, despite the teasing words of her blonde counterpart she knew that this was honest and possibly slightly admiring banter so she just smirked back and half shrugged,

"I do _know _your name you know, we do after all spend more time together than most married couples…and of _course _I have seen Star Wars ,I may be, as you seem to think, a Princess but I'm also _not _dead. Now, going back to what you said…?"

Quinn chuckled and held up her hands in the universal sign of surrender before she took a deep breath, and trying to make it seem perfectly natural she issued her invitation again. She was nervous, _real _nervous, because she suddenly realised that if Rachel refused the invitation it would devastate her…but she'd already issued it and she was fucked if a little case of last minute nerves were going to put her off now, _especially _if there was a chance she might agree.

"I said, well asked to be more accurate, but I guess that's not the thing to focus on but um…well, why don't you come to thanksgiving dinner at _my _house? I mean my sister Santana is a restaurant quality chef and I'm not talking diner food I'm talking real five star stuff and my brother Dave is like the nicest guy _ever_. And both my mom's…well I mean you met em, sort of, already and they _really _go to town for thanksgiving so it's kinda cool, I mean it's not like grand scale wise like yours would be but…"

Laughing gently Rachel reached out and covered Quinn's lips with her forefinger to get her to stop rambling.

"Slow down there Gretzky, that's the most I think I've heard you say in a single breath and you were going kind of purple. If it's okay with your parents I would be _honoured _to accompany you to your house for thanksgiving dinner."

Quinn wanted to reply, she _really _did but her lips were tingling where the diva's forefinger rested lightly on them and she swallowed ever so slightly wondering what the polite thing to do was. She was pretty sure it _didn't _involve licking or perhaps nibbling on the end of the digit in question so she quickly swallowed that idea down and sat on it so it wouldn't rear it's ugly head again. At the same time Rachel realised her instinctive gesture had put them in an oddly intimate position and she found herself in the _same _precarious position, the result being they stood there in an odd tableaux for a long moment.

Eventually the diva removed her hand and Quinn opened her mouth but then closed it and nodded with a smile. She knew that her mom's would be happy Rachel was coming, one more mouth to feed was _never _unusual in their house and she doubted that Rachel would be the only extra guest at the table. Actually, as she thought about it…her mom's might be a little _too _happy for Rachel to be there and she mentally face palmed and hoped to Hell (pointlessly of course) that her erstwhile family would behave themselves and _not _try any attempts at matchmaking. Deciding to take the conversation away from the slightly awkward area they had navigated themselves into, the blonde gestured to the open door.

"Um _how _long were you err…watching, I mean, did you _see _much of me making an idiot of myself out there?"

She attempted to make a joke of it, as though she were just mucking around with the dancing and didn't _care _how she had come across. Rachel knew the act for what it was and wondered why no one else ever saw through the hockey players ruses.

"I…actually heard someone in the rink and wondered if coach was back so I came over pretty quick and I saw you getting ready. You're _really _good Quinn, you shouldn't question yourself so much or make light of it. I know I tend to come across as a little…"

The diva paused as she looked for the right words and Quinn couldn't help but smile lightly as she ventured.

"Intense…dedicated…high strung?"

Unable to quite _fully _suffocate the smirk she felt, Rachel begrudgingly allowed the hockey player a smile for those options and then tilted her head to one side and sighed.

"Any one of those would do, but my point, and _yes _I do have one! Was that you have been working really hard, putting in all of your effort and sometimes I wonder _why_? Not that I'm complaining, because I am after all benefiting from you being so dedicated but I put you through a lot of…_intense_, shall we say, pressure and you don't strike me as the type of person who would normally put up with that sort of attitude."

Quinn ran a hand through her hair and after a moment to think about all the things she _could _say, ranging from joking to evasive to half truth to full truth she smiled slightly and glanced to the door leading to the Spencer Mansion.

"How about…we go sit down with a hot drink before I answer that question as it's _kind _of a long story."

Blinking in surprise for yet a third time that evening the little diva smiled in genuine pleasure and nodded.

"I think that can be arranged yes, as long as you like hot chocolate because I tend to make it by the vat full, I'm not a fan of coffee or tea as they have quite a high caffeine content but chocolate on the other hand I _am _addicted to."

Quinn grinned back just as happy as Rachel and she unlaced her skates hurriedly, swapping them for her battered running shoes and chatting as she did so.

"Not a problem there, I have a _serious _sweet tooth, I often thank god I was born with the sporty gene as well as the sweet tooth gene because otherwise I would be the size of a house _and _have dentures."

Rachel laughed outright and nodded her head as she agreed that she too would most certainly have suffered the same fate. As they moved into the house the blonde couldn't help but swallow nervously out of instinct and she was glad that the diva either didn't notice or chose not to mention that she had. Quinn had only been in the house _once _before when she had had her trial session that had nearly ended her short career in figure skating, then, Leroy had been there as well as coach Schu and Rachel and it had seemed big but alive, with Rachel and her it seemed cavernous. It was _obvious _that Rachel felt it too as they wordlessly decided to stay in the kitchen which was warm and cosy from the open fire and the old fashioned Aga.

Attached to the kitchen was a mini den with large plump sofas and chairs that you almost sunk into and a small entertainment centre, obviously it was meant for kitchen staff when they hosted parties but judging by the books and collection of mugs, dishes and cutlery on the side, it was where Rachel spent _most _of her time. After they were settled in with a hot chocolate that was almost sinfully rich and smooth, Rachel lapsed into silence for a moment and Quinn toyed idly with her shirt cuff as she wondered how to start this conversation. She was trying like hell to string together a sentence that _wouldn't _seem too clichéd and failing dismally, luckily Rachel broke the silence by smiling wryly and glancing at the hockey player.

"This is _weird_, we've spent the last two months learning how to fling each other around on the ice safely and now…well, _now_, we seem to be having difficulty just talking to each other."

She barked a small laugh as she finished and Quinn found herself chuckling along as she nodded. Letting out a sigh she rubbed the back of her neck.

"I know, I guess it doesn't help that I seem to be a _bit _of an asshole most of the time. I'm trying my best not to do that anymore but it's kinda difficult to change the habits of a lifetime."

Scooping some of the whipped cream off of the top of her drink, Rachel sucked her cream topped finger thoughtfully and then lowering it from her mouth she sighed again and lay a hand on the blondes forearm.

"I know this is probably _none _of my business but…is it because of, um, your father and stuff that you don't let people get close?"

_Shit_, the question she always dreaded, the one that was the reason behind her keeping people at arms length just as the brunette suggested she did. But it was because she _hated _having to explain the mess that was her life, it was easier when people just regarded her as an asshole, because assholes were just a fact of life and no one _wanted _to figure them out. But if you found out that someone just _acted _like an asshole then you wanted to know why, you _needed _to know more and so you dug and you dug until you found out what motivated them to act that way. Normally she tried her best to avoid any kind of conversation that revealed anything about herself but she had already revealed more to Rachel than she had to even her _mothers_. The difference was…she _wanted _Rachel to know her, all of her, even the bad stuff and so she took a deep breath and nodded.

"It's part of it, yeah…I mean it sounds worse than it probably was, my mom was nice enough before she went but she just…wasn't interested in a kid I guess and dad _may _have been able to make more of himself if not for the gambling. The worst bit was living with Mr Black, if that _was _even his name, it's just what I called him because he never told me otherwise and that was what his…lackeys called him."

Rachel shifted, chewing on her lower lip in concern as she wondered what to say or even if she _should _say anything, Quinn solved the dilemma for her by turning to her and smiling faintly.

"It's okay…I mean I got my mom's now and although San and me argue all the time we are as close as if we had been born into the same family. I'm not lonely it's just that getting involved with anyone romantically has always frightened me. So yeah, it is sort of _part _of why I act like an ass. As to your question as to why I put up with your…um _intense _attitude there's kinda two answers to that, it started out as being one reason and now I have two."

The little diva's eyebrows drew down together in confusion as she regarded the hockey player and she took more of the whipped cream off the top of the hot chocolate and then inclined her head for Quinn to continue. The blonde fiddled with her own drink and seemed on the verge of either leaving or combusting before she finally let out an exasperated breath and let her head fall onto the sofa's back so she was staring up at the ceiling as she explained how her mom had been shot on duty and how she and her siblings were trying to get the money together for the operation. Rachel listened with a hundred percent of her attention and when Quinn stopped and drained the last of her drink the diva finally swallowed and without warning took the mug from the blondes hand and set it on the table. Before Quinn could say _anything _else, she found herself wrapped in an embrace she had dreamed of but never thought would happen, never thought she actually _deserved_. For a moment, she froze in shock then she let herself relax as she wanted to, closing her eyes she let Rachel rest her forehead on her shoulder and wrapped her arms round the little skaters neck. She inhaled lightly and let the scent of Rachel's shampoo mixed with the faint trace of cinnamon and nutmeg from the hot chocolate play over her senses before smiling softly.

"What's this for…_not _that I'm complaining!"

After holding the hockey player close for a long time Rachel pulled back far enough to look her in the eye and wondered _why _she had never looked this deeply into her skating partner before. The hazel eyes she was looking into now were _so _open and honest that she wondered how anyone had ever fallen for the veneer of a character the hockey player had constructed for herself. Swallowing the urge to pull the blonde into her arms again she smiled and let out a breath as she found herself tucking a strand of blonde hair behind the other woman's ear with one hand while the other held one of the hockey players slightly larger ones.

"I think that you spend a _long _time telling yourself that you aren't worth much and that you don't deserve much but you _never _mention the stuff you do that surpasses selfless. You and your siblings have given up your own dreams and lives and put them on hold to try and help your mom. And you haven't even told her what you're doing, you've made excuses so she doesn't ask, but it's one of the most selfless things I have heard of."

Quinn flushed bright red and rubbed the back of her neck self consciously.

"I guess I don't think of it like that, like it being a good or grand thing…it's sort of the _only _thing, she loved being a cop and she was a damn good one, dedicated…she brought closure to people, to families who had given up hope of _ever _receiving answers, now _that's _an amazing woman. _Me_, all I do is play hockey and play and sell videogames, nothing special about _that_."

She ended with a shrug and Rachel sighed as she tried to get her point across without getting exasperated.

"That's just _why _it's such a big deal…you did it _without _thinking how wonderful it was, you are much more than you give yourself credit for Quinn. And as for what you did, that's how you earned money but it _isn't _who you are."

Frowning, the hockey player rubbed her neck again and ventured a reply.

"Um…okay so what _am _I then?"

Rachel smiled and then squeezed Quinn's hand lightly.

"You are whatever you _want _to be, some people get paid for a job and as high pressure as that job may be it's just a means to an end but it isn't who they are. What makes _you _feel alive Quinn!"

The blonde hockey player smiled faintly…until an hour or so ago she would have said she didn't know but now she did and although it went _against _the tough image she had spent years in constructing she couldn't deny that it was true.

"_This_…skating, figure skating with _you _to be precise. I know I could be considered biased but as far as I'm concerned we are the perfect team when we're on the ice, we move well together, we seem to hear the same rhythm in our heads and I don't _just _mean the rhythm in the music you know?"

Rachel nodded enthusiastically with a smile and then bit her lower lip shyly.

"Yes, I know _exactly _what you mean, I didn't want to say anything before but I feel it too, we're _good _together Quinn Fabray."

The hockey player smiled happily and her hazel eyes twinkled, the warm yellow's oranges and red's from the fire reflecting off of them and almost entrancing the little brunette. Quinn picked up her newly refilled mug of chocolate and scooping a bit of cream from the top she couldn't help but swipe the very tip of the diva's nose with it before grinning and agreeing.

"I think, Rachel Berry, that _you _may very well be right!"

They both dissolved into giggles as they continued to talk openly with each other about everything from book's to politics to soap operas, all the while, and though neither of them noticed it (or chose not to) they kept their hands linked together and both held on to the thought that the upcoming thanksgiving celebrations may well be the best they had yet experienced.

_Phew managed to squeeze a chapter of this out before the grand visit! Hurrah for being crazy and on half hours…high five?…anyone?…hooooookay then, moving swiftly onwards, I hope you like and __**yes **__the next chapter will be the thanksgiving itself with lots of mushy goodness and family interaction and a very definite step forwards in their relationship…and then their first competition and Quinn's exposure to the world of competitive ice dancing. I also have a cracking second part to Cheerio's and Froot Loops all ready to go, lots of angst mixed with love and of course my attempt at some smut!_

_And I hated the first time episode of glee, in fact I may have thrown up a little in my mouth though I __**was **__glad to see Karofsky again, I love him so much! Lol okay drop me a line and if anyone has anything they may like to see in this or any of my other fic's please do let me know…love to you all! XXX_


	8. Chapter 8

_I am having a bit of a shitty time but this chapter came to me and so I wrote it lol. I apologise if it's a bit crappy but hope it isn't! However I think it's about time our skating stars got a kick in the right direction and who better for that than good old family lol. I am also trying to finish the second part of Cheerio's but that gets pretty angst filled in places and I have to do it in bite size chunks so to speak. Also I'm working on a little something which is mostly a thanks to you guys, the readers, for your support and encouragement. I know writers say it all the time but as much as you guys love to see updates, we like to see you enjoying the fruits of our labours. I can honestly say that despite being in Management I consider my writing my career (unpaid though it is) and Managing something I merely do to get paid. Now sit back and enjoy a slightly softer chapter of Thin Ice to the previous ones…_

_Okay_…Rachel was coming to her house for Thanksgiving. Not a problem, it wasn't like she had to do any of the cooking herself or anything. Santana pretty much took over the kitchen for the whole day and yelled at _anyone _that tried to help. Dave would be his accommodating and pleasant self as always and she just knew that Rachel would love him to bits. So why, why oh _bloody _why was she pacing the floor of her bedroom in the little chalet and running her hands through her hair so often she was beginning to resemble Young Einstein. Quinn blew out a breath and re checked her duffle for the fifth time to make sure she had everything she wanted for the weekend. Rachel had shown no signs of regretting her acceptance of the blondes offer so there was really no reason to be as nervous as she was.

Apart from the glaringly obvious fact that the little diva had _no _idea that Quinn had fallen for her and was stupid enough to tell her family. She trusted her mom's not to embarrass her and though Dave might give her the occasional wink, he too would be discreet. But _Santana_…well, she was fairly sure her sister had not even registered how to spell the word, let alone discern it's meaning. And their last weekend together _had _been on the dramatic side, it would only be right to expect some form of retribution. But for once, that thought _actually _bothered her. Quinn had never liked, let alone _loved _any girl enough to bring them home before. Now, not only was she bringing Rachel home with her she was bringing her home for one of the biggest family holidays of the year! The hockey player tried to remember if she had ever felt this nervous before and despite her participation in numerous sports finals…she was pretty sure she hadn't.

Frowning at the unfamiliar churning in her stomach Quinn stopped pacing and placed a hand on her midriff in concern. Her eyes widened a moment later when she realised belatedly that the feeling was intense nausea. Bolting for the bathroom she just made it and proceeded to throw up everything she had eaten for breakfast. She _knew _she had it bad when she realised that her first thought was what Rachel would say about it. Smiling slightly as her forehead rested on the cold porcelain of the toilet bowl she knew _just _what the little diva would say. She would blame the extremely unhealthy dietary habits of the blonde, as a case in point her breakfast that morning had consisted of three Twinkies and half a jar of peanut butter. The determined little brunette had tried her best to persuade Quinn to come up to the main house for meals, so far Quinn's innate stubborn streak had won out. Though if pushed she _would _have to admit that she felt a warm glow just knowing that Rachel was concerned enough about her to offer.

Shit, here she was, head half in a toilet bowl throwing up a junk food breakfast, yet she _still _wore a stupid dopey grin whenever she thought about her skating partner. Sighing she dragged herself to her feet and wiped the back of her hand across her mouth with a moan. After flushing the toilet she ran the cold tap and splashed her face several times to clear her addled brain. As she reached for her toothbrush however she heard knocking on her door, frowning she checked her watch. It couldn't be Rachel as she wasn't due there for another hour or so, by process of elimination it had to be Schu. She wiped her hands on her 'Riddler' T Shirt and padded barefoot to the door. Fate however, was really not on Quinn's side that morning and when she opened the door it was _not _to their overly exuberant coach but the recently realised 'girl of her dreams'. Cursing internally Quinn forced a weak smile as she realised she probably stank of vomit and had on a faded t shirt and torn boxers, _again_! Rachel immediately raised an eyebrow and the corners of her lips quirked slightly in an almost smile.

"Gretzky do you _have any _underwear that isn't actually ripped?"

Flushing bright red the blonde glanced down at the torn space invaders shorts and scratched her nose.

"Um…you just keep catching me on laundry day! I mean…the day I take all my washing home for my mom."

Letting out an unladylike snort of amusement Rachel finally smiled. Shaking her head she then frowned as she took in her skating partners full appearance.

"Are you ill? You look pale…and no offence but you smell like my dad did the day after I won my first medal. Are you hung over?"

Rolling her eyes at the question, Quinn folded her arms and stepped back to allow Rachel in. With a tired exhalation she admitted quietly.

"I think maybe my stomach hated something I put in it last night or this morning? It's fine now though, I think it all came up."

Despite her assurances she found herself pressed down onto the sofa while the brunette lay the back of her hand against Quinn's forehead determined to check her temperature. Despite the fact that in the past even her mom's doing that to her bugged the shit out of Quinn…she found she really didn't mind when it was _Rachel _doing it. She was just one of those people that made a lousy patient was all. All that temperature taking and medicine swallowing seemed unnecessary when most things tended to sort them out if you left them. But as the brunette peered into her eyes and felt the glands in her throat she just felt…cared about.

"Hmm, well you don't have a temperature. What _did _you have for dinner last night?"

Smiling unabashedly the blonde shrugged and admitted.

"Bucket of fried chicken…oh and some peanut butter Kit Kat's."

The brunette frowned as she processed that and located the fault with that statement.

"Quinn, they don't even _make _peanut butter Kit Kat's."

Grinning the blonde motioned to the small coffee table in front of the sofa. As well as the TV guide and a selection of comics there was an empty jar of peanut butter and several candy wrappers. Rachel sighed.

"I know I'm going to regret asking but…what was for breakfast?"

Running her hands through her hair Quinn found she was feeling immensely better just having Rachel in the same room with her. She answered after a moments pause despite knowing she was literally begging for a lecture if she did so.

"Oh that's different…_Twinkies _and peanut butter."

Throwing her hands up in disbelief Rachel stood up and paced as she mumbled under her breath and started throwing away the candy wrappers. Rolling her eyes Quinn stood up and walking over she lay a gentle hand on the brunette's forearm.

"Whoa there Princess, last I checked you _weren't _the maid, and despite the inordinate amount of mess in here I don't need you to clean up after me okay? I was just comfort eating because I'm kinda nervous."

Brown eyes widened at the hockey players words and she stopped picking up the rubbish more out of shock than because Quinn had asked her to. The blonde was kicking herself for her inability to censor her words around the little diva. So she distracted herself by picking up the last of the rubbish and straightening the comics. Eventually though she had to look back over at Rachel and was caught off guard by the gentle look in her soft brown eyes. The diva spoke quietly as she tilted her head slightly to one side.

"Why are you nervous? I've met your family before Quinn, admittedly it was brief but we all got along."

Automatically reaching to put hands in pockets she realised she didn't have, Quinn instead clasped them loosely in front of her and chewed her lower lip for a long moment before speaking.

"I just…compared to you I guess I don't have a lot. I mean we have a pretty nice house because Dave is like a DIY genius and we're all real tidy…except me. But it's _nothing _like you're used to and I just don't want your thanksgiving to suck. I mean I know it's not what you wanted already because it isn't with your dad's but…"

Walking forward Rachel held up a hand and surprisingly (to both of them) Quinn subsided. Smiling at the unlikely form of submission from the cocky hockey player, Rachel spoke.

"I don't _care _Quinn, as someone once said 'a house is not a house unless it's a home'. And yes I live in a grand house but it isn't always a home, especially not without my fathers. I get the distinct impression that _your _house however is most definitely a home…in every sense of the word."

Pausing to scratch her nose again in thought the blonde shrugged a shoulder and admitted.

"Well I mean yeah, it's always busy and it's always been a place of safety and comfort. All our friends used to prefer spending time at our place, though I think that had to do with Santana's cooking. Trust me when I say the woman is _amazing_. But um…don't tell her I said that okay because the two of us have this sort of image we try and maintain."

Rachel smirked slightly as she realised something, propping her hands on her hips she chuckled slightly.

"You really _are _nervous aren't you? I mean not just about the fact your house isn't a mansion but…the almighty Gretzky is worried that she might get embarrassed by her family telling me something about her she doesn't want me to know!"

Quinn rolled her eyes and feigned indifference but her wide eyes and flushed cheeks gave her away. Rachel found herself laughing in genuine amusement at the normally confident hockey player's visible worry. The blonde was close to pouting but knew that would only earn her more teasing so she reluctantly grinned back and shrugged a shoulder.

"You know how parents can be. I mean I bet if I asked _your _dad's to see baby pictures they wouldn't think twice, and there's always that one of you butt naked. Not to mention the first ice cream experience…or worse yet spaghetti Bolognese."

The brunette's laughter tapered off after a moment at the sobering thought of Quinn seeing the baby picture of her dressed as Oscar the Grouch. Clearing her throat she nodded once and offered a truce.

"How about for the sake of both of our dignities we agree to try and dodge each others embarrassing pictures."

Reaching out Quinn shook the diva's hand lightly and grinned back.

"That sounds like an excellent proposal to _me _Rach."

Rachel froze in the middle of the handshake and Quinn instantly panicked, had she given something away? Was she standing too close? Oh crap was her breath still really bad from throwing up? Before she could ask any of these questions however the diva squeezed her hand lightly and smiled.

"Wow, I think that might be the _first _time you called me something other than Berry or Princess."

Aware of the warm feeling blossoming in her stomach and the red colour currently suffusing her cheeks, Quinn squeezed back and then let their hands separate.

"Um, I can go back to nicknames if it bothers you. I wasn't thinking and it just sort of slipped out.?"

Shaking her head slightly the little diva crinkled her nose in merriment as she laughed.

"No don't, I liked it. It sounded sort of different coming from you, almost like it _meant _more."

She let her sentence trail off and suddenly they were both very aware of a new feeling in the air. One that neither of them was quite ready for yet and Quinn swallowed thickly and again berated herself for the lack of pockets. At least _then _she could hide her traitorous hands that itched to pull Rachel into a hug. The brunette cleared her throat and forced a casual tone as she shook her head dazedly.

"Right…well, anyway I came here to say that I _should _be ready by eleven. However _first _you need to brush your teeth and take a shower and then we're eating before we go.

Quinn opened her mouth to fire off a protest but Rachel just barrelled on and the hockey player found herself too stunned to speak.

"Don't bother trying to tell me you already ate because you also confessed you threw it up. I'll bring us something down around ten then we can eat before we go."

Throwing a smile over her shoulder Rachel headed out of the chalet again leaving a dumbfounded Quinn behind her. Scratching the side of her nose absentmindedly the hockey player shrugged and decided that the last thing she was going to do was object…and oddly the nerves didn't seem nearly as sharp as they had earlier as she murmured to herself.

"We aren't even a couple and I'm _already_ whipped…San is going to just love this!"

Smirking she hopped into the shower and decided that with the rest of her time she'd actually do some cleaning. An hour later Rachel was back just as she promised, Quinn was used to seeing her in sweats or training clothes due to the fact that was generally the only time they saw each other. So she had to literally swallow down the moan she felt bubbling up when she took in the brunette's attire. Somehow (and Quinn would _love _to know how) she had squeezed herself into black skin tight jeans and a scarlet red blouse with a loose charcoal grey cardigan over the top. Swallowing on a dry throat Quinn managed to force out a coherent sentence.

"You look…_really _nice Princess."

Narrowing her eyes suspiciously she peered into Quinn's hazel ones carefully, trying to work out if there was any hint of sarcasm there. All she found was honest admiration and maybe…just _maybe _something else. Something that both warmed Rachel and simultaneously made her shudder. Smiling she just nodded her head in acknowledgement and jerked her chin towards the hockey player.

"You scrub up fairly well yourself there Gretzky."

Quinn glanced down at herself, internally she supposed that maybe (_if _she were forced to admit it) she had made a bit of an effort as well. Instead of the usual baggy loose jeans she had gone for western fit 501's with black cowboy style ankle boots. Gone were the battered sneakers, as were the scruffy old T Shirts. Instead she had on a very carefully ironed black bowling style shirt advertising the 'Blue Cocktail Lounge'. true it had a fifties style girl in the martini glass but it _was _neatly ironed and _wasn't _a hoody. Running a hand through her too long hair the blonde shrugged self consciously.

"Yeah well, you know how it is. If I don't go home looking at least _half _decent I'll have to sit through a lecture on looking after myself."

Rachel arched an eyebrow at that and glanced pointedly at the cupboards she knew contained snack foods and cereals and nothing else.

"Because you _obviously _pay so much attention to those lectures don't you?"

Snorting slightly Quinn slipped her leather jacket on and grabbed her bag up as well as the diva's.

"Come on then, we should get going. After all the weather is meant to be getting pretty snowy later and the last thing we want is to end up snowed in somewhere away from all that food."

Shaking her head in what was becoming fond exasperation, Rachel followed after her and closed the door on the surprisingly neat chalet. The brunette had noticed when she returned that Quinn had tidied and cleaned the place and she couldn't help a small smile at the inadvertent affect she had had on her skating partners hygiene. She was so pre occupied with her thoughts that she nearly walked straight into the taller woman who was stood stock still staring at Rachel's choice of transport. Admittedly had Quinn known _what _they would be travelling in she wouldn't have worried so much about the snow. As Rachel walked into her and they both stumbled forward the blonde shot a hand out to keep the brunette on her feet and grinned widely.

"You never said we were taking a Hummer, you _gotta _let me drive!"

The grin Rachel let loose at the blatant enthusiasm in the hockey players voice was a hundred percent genuine and she laughed lightly.

"I debated between that and the Wildcat but in the end I plumped for this. _Mainly _because if we do get caught anywhere it has more home comforts."

She paused and realised she hadn't actually answered the blondes request yet. A fact compounded when she took in the pleading hazel eyes and slight pout on Quinn's full lips. She laughed in genuine amusement at that and dangled the keys enticingly in front of her.

"You know if you used those eyes and pout instead of the cocky attitude you _might _get what you wanted more often Gretzky."

Hazel eyes widened at that and Quinn realised her jaw was hanging open. Half expecting Rachel to balk when she realised how what she had said sounded, she found herself even more surprised. Because instead of embarrassment the little diva just winked and dropped the keys so fast Quinn had to scramble to catch them before they landed in the snow. Ignoring the tinkling laughter as Rachel picked her bag up the blonde moved swiftly.

"Allow me Princess, after all if _I'm _the chauffer I want to do this right."

It was the blondes turn to wink as she took both their bags and placed them carefully in the boot. She then made her way to the passenger side and opening the door offered her arm to an amused (and reluctantly charmed) Rachel. After helping her in and closing the door she leapt around to the drivers side and up into the seat with a Cheshire grin. Adjusting the seat and mirrors she turned the engine on and looked around the cab approvingly.

"Did you know this is a popular form of vehicle for CSI units across the country? And I don't just mean in the TV shows either, it's a popular choice because of it's diversity and capacity, along with the infamous Tahoe of course."

She realised she was babbling when she took in her dancing partners look of restrained mirth. Rolling her eyes she sighed and smirked crookedly.

"Go on! get it out of your system, yes I am a bit of a gear head as well I suppose. Geez at this rate I'm not going to have _any _secrets left when it comes you Princess."

Settling back in her seat the diva smiled happily and began to cycle through the tunes on the I Pod.

"As it should be, skating partners need to rely on each other almost as much as police officers need to rely on theirs."

Quinn looked thoughtful as she alternately gave a thumbs up or down to the choices Rachel showed her.

"So does that mean we can ask each other anything?"

Pausing in her selection process the diva glanced over at the blonde curiously. Taking a moment to assess if the question was genuine or not she eventually nodded and set the I Pod into the cradle. As the soft notes of Enya wafted from the Humvee's speakers she answered.

"I suppose so yes, _within reason _of course…why, was there something specific you had in mind?"

Quinn sucked her lower lip into her mouth and began to chew on it lightly as she thought. There was _plenty _she wanted to know, that was for certain but if she expected Rachel to answer them _she _had to be ready to do the same. After a few moments and two and a half tracks of the album Quinn drummed her fingers on the steering wheel and then spoke so abruptly the diva jumped slightly.

"Do you believe in true love. I mean…not the settling kind but the forever after type like they try and tell you exists when you're a kid?"

Of all the questions that Rachel had entertained the hockey player asking her, _that _was near to if not at the very bottom of the list. Smiling slightly at the blondes ability to constantly surprise her she found that she gave an honest answer as opposed to the usual whitewash.

"I…think I would _like _to believe in it. I used to but then I suppose I gave up those ideals, I mean does anyone hold onto them? For instance after everything you have been through do you still believe in it?"

Chewing on her lip some more (prompting Rachel to remember to buy the woman some chap stick before she ruined them) Quinn eventually confessed something she never before acknowledged within herself.

"Strangely…yeah I do. I mean I know that from an observers point of view that maybe my life is about as far from a fairy tale as you can get but…I do. I guess the one way I look at it is that the more life tries to tell me I _don't _have a soul mate the more I'm determined to _find _them. It's that good old Fabray stubborn streak but I guess I can admit to you that I know one day I'm going to fall. And when I do it will be for good."

Caught between a need to embrace the usually cynical skater and the urge to talk about something that had been weighing on her mind for a while now. Rachel instead turned her gaze forward. After a long moments silence she spoke in a surprisingly hoarse voice.

"What if when you do find her she already has someone or is…unavailable in one way or another."

Forcing herself to keep her hazel eyes on the road Quinn blew out a gentle breath and tried to mentally calm the butterflies in her stomach. After all on the surface it was a simple conversation, it was only _her _that knew she had her reasons for asking. Or so she thought, if she had chanced a look across to the diva she would have seen a _very _similar storm of emotions raging in brown eyes.

"Well I guess then I would just make up my mind to be there for them, even if it _was _only a friend. The fact is as much as I believe in true love I'm also terrified by it."

At Quinn's soft admission Rachel's eyes swung round and took in the blondes profile, she looked calm enough on the surface. Although the brunette's keen eyes did not miss the faster than usual pounding of the pulse point in the hockey players neck.

"Why does it scare you? I mean…your mom's are about as in love as any couple I ever met, doesn't _that _give you hope?"

Shifting in her seat Quinn switched to chewing the right side of her lip as she could feel the left side becoming sore. The silly thing about it was she actually _wanted _to answer the brunette she just needed time to find the perfect words she required to do so.

"They were the first couple I saw that I _did _get hope from. Growing up around poker games you end up seeing broken families or worse, ones in the middle of crumbling. It gives you a perspective that kind of skews you. For a long time I figured that love was just another tool…along the same lines as charm, wit and all the other things you use to get someone into bed. So I _never _said it, not even to my family…I don't think I have yet it's just like this feeling that if I say it then it might break."

Rachel felt herself swallowing down tears but she didn't say anything yet, she just waited. Quinn didn't look sad herself which actually made the diva feel the ache in her heart even _more _sharply. She didn't speak but she did shift closer in the seat and lay a gentle hand on one of Quinn's which was loosely hanging off the gear shift. She half expected the hockey player to pull back but she didn't, in fact after a moments hesitation Quinn turned her hand over so it was palm up and laced their fingers together before carrying on.

"It's annoying because I _do _love them, all of them…even Santana. But sometimes things change, circumstances, and you just start figuring out what's important. I don't regret my past actions per se. I mean the women I slept with only wanted the same as me…strings free sex and so that's what I gave them. What I DO regret however is the fact the woman I love may not be able to see past that. Some people end up falling for their exact opposites and although the films and books make it seem like that sort of thing always works…it doesn't, not always."

Rachel squeezed Quinn's hand for a moment and wondered what to say. She could feel a ball of something swirling around inside of her and she didn't know if she wanted to cry, shout, laugh or…go _nuts_! There was just something inside that needed to get out, sighing internally she looked at the hockey players profile again and spoke carefully.

"I think…that when you find that person you should bear in mind one thing. _Everyone _takes a wrong step occasionally, makes mistakes and says the wrong thing. The important thing is what happens next. I always think if you know your own faults and do your best to correct them or at least acknowledge them then you're doing well. I can honestly say that although you do without a doubt have the capacity to try the patience of a saint…you are also one _fantastic _woman. And anyone who cant see that doesn't _deserve _you."

Blinking rapidly to keep her tears back the hockey player swallowed a couple of times and forced a crooked grin.

"You're only saying that so when someone falls for me you know you can get shot of me."

Scoffing at the blondes retort Rachel nudged her broad shoulder ever so gently with her own. Taking the hint however, she gracefully changed the subject.

"_So_, are there any Fabray family traditions I should know about for this weekend? Am I going to be dragged into a game of touch football or a turkey eating contest?"

Grateful for the out she had been handed Quinn found herself laughing.

"No football I promise, its _way _too cold for that…though sometimes if the streets aren't frosted over we do engage in a little bit of street hockey. But considering the _last _time you got hold of a hockey stick you broke my nose I'm pretty sure you can sit it out!"

Rachel's jaw dropped in feigned shock and she turned to face the smirking blonde.

"_You _were the one who goaded me into that Quinn Fabray! And if I remember correctly it was your smug attitude that ended up getting you splatted on the ice. If you ask me it _finally _knocked some sense into you!"

Gasping in mock outrage Quinn lifted one hand to rest on her chest and risked looking away from the freeway to level a look at the brunette.

"Okay, firstly someone with your extensive vocabulary should know that _splatted _is a word that does not exist outside of comic books. Secondly…I was not being smug I was being confident in my abilities. Thirdly…it so did _not _knock sense into me."

Realising how that sounded Quinn groaned and then raised an eyebrow at the diva's little victory dance. It was obviously a version of the hockey players own and with Rachel sat down it looked absurd.

"Princess, you look like a dog with worms."

Instantly ceasing the dance, brown eyes pinned hers with a mocking glare.

"Careful Fabray, or I'll tell your family exactly _how _bad you were on the ice before you mastered the toe pick!"

Miming zipping her lip she passed the imaginary key to Rachel who dropped it down her top. Hazel eyes widened and shot back towards the road, it only took a second before both women cracked up laughing and after they got their breath back Quinn sighed happily.

"Back to your original point…_no _silly traditions, we do all say something we're thankful for like every family does. Apart from that it's too much food, watching the ball game and arguing over the instruments for Rock Band."

Frowning in confusion Rachel glanced over at the blonde.

"You have a Rock Band? What, are you guys like the Osmond's or the Von Trapp's?"

Almost choking at the thought of Santana in lederhosen made of old curtains Quinn managed to get her breath back and glanced across at her skating partner in disbelief.

"You know…the computer game Rock Band? With a drum kit, two guitars and the microphone…oh yeah, and the keyboard now too!"

She grinned at the thought of that addition and felt her eyes widen in amusement when she realised that Rachel was none the wiser.

"I have no idea what on _earth _you are talking about Quinn, it's daddy that plays those games. I have no idea why, they don't exactly teach you anything and I mean how much fun can a videogame _be_?"

Quinn's grin grew even wider and although the little diva had no idea of the gauntlet she had just thrown down, the blonde was already planning the ways to make Rachel realise how much fun she could have on a so called _videogame_. The rest of the ride went by fairly swiftly, it was mostly freeway driving and the freeways were relatively clear. Plus of course it meant that neither woman was forced to release the grip they had on each others hands. Noticing Dave's van, Santana's Civic and another unfamiliar car in the driveway Quinn grinned and pulled in behind the Latina. She glanced over at Rachel who she realised she was looking slightly tentative and she reached across and punched her on the shoulder lightly. The gesture was a _little _ungainly but she had after all been fighting the urge to just cuddle the diva for the entirety of the journey.

"Hey we aren't _that _bad I promise. In fact the rest of the family are actually fairly civilised!"

Rolling her eyes Rachel seemed to have nowhere near the compunction that Quinn did when it came to physical contact. So she reached out and ruffled the overly long blonde bangs brushing the hazel eyes in front of her.

"Although you would shoot anyone if they guessed Quinn Fabray…_You _aren't that bad either!"

Ducking her head to hide the blush Quinn opened her door and slid out while Rachel finished disconnecting the I Pod with a small smile. After walking around to the passenger side Quinn opened Rachel's door and offering her hand helped the pleasantly surprised diva down. When Rachel moved to help her with the bags Quinn refused and pushed her lightly back with a grin before taking both bags and slinging them over her shoulders. Huffing in mild annoyance Rachel _then _found herself stifling a giggle as the blonde struggled her way up the freshly shovelled walk beside the driveway. Unfortunately while it _had _been shovelled it hadn't yet been salted and the ice underneath the white powdery substance meant she looked more like Bambi than Gretzky.

Quinn was cursing like a trooper under her breath, she was also all too aware of Rachel behind her who was trying to unsuccessfully stifle her laughter. A part of her was glad she was causing genuine amusement in the diva who had previously been anxious…however the _other _part of her was cringing and hoping not to land on her ass in front of the woman she could now admit (if only to herself) that she was trying to subtly woo.

Matters were _not _exactly helped when she heard her name being called. Glancing up carefully she noticed that Santana, her girlfriend Brittany _and _her mom were all watching her from the front room window. Scowling she rolled her eyes as she glanced sideways at Rachel. Santana's insistent yelling of her name was irritating and she whipped round to yell back…and fell flat on her ass, squashed by the weight of the bags she tried to protect from hitting the ground. Closing her eyes in mortification the blonde heard Santana's cackle of amusement followed by the gentle tones of Brittany trying to admonish her. Letting out a breath she opened her eyes to see the partly concerned, partly amused brown eyes of Rachel Berry hovering over her and twinkling slightly.

"_Now _will you let me help you with the bags Gretzky?"

Wanting to hold onto her anger at Santana, Quinn instead found herself charmed by the impish grin on the diva's face and huffed slightly. Nevertheless she let go of the bags and held up a hand to be helped to her feet. She shouldn't really be surprised by the subtle strength in the little skater, but despite working with her almost constantly for two months she _was _taken aback and almost ended up right in the smaller girls arms. There was a moment, just _one _uninterrupted second where the only thing between the two women was the mist of their breath in the chilly early afternoon air…then it was disturbed by the sound of a door opening and they gently separated. Both looked away to hide identical red flushes suffusing their cheeks. Quinn abruptly squealed with laughter as Dave swept her up in a bear hug from behind. Rachel found herself grinning at the taller boy's jovial actions despite not knowing him well yet. Once he put Quinn down the brunette held her hand out to shake, and was _also _surprised into a delighted squeal when he picked her up in an identical bear hug.

Quinn smiled happily as she saw Dave pick up her skating partner, motioning discreetly to the door he winked back and propelled the diva inside and across the icy ground. Santana came out and grabbed up the blondes bag with a smirk as Quinn picked up Rachel's. there was a moments staring between the two sisters then they both grinned shyly. It was always like that between them, no overt offers of or acceptance of apologies, just their own wordless language. Clapping her free arm around her sister's shoulders Santana nodded in the direction of the overwhelmed diva who was being ushered in and shown around by her ma.

"I thought the two of you were like oil and water? Something changed there that you want to talk to me about?"

Setting the bag down in the hall (because she wasn't sure of sleeping arrangements yet) Quinn sighed slightly and although she had wanted to play it cool, she had forgotten to take something into account. Although she and Santana were _technically _only related by adoption, the two girls were so similar in personality that Dave often joked they _must _be related by blood somehow. Which is why the Latina knew in ten seconds of being around her sister, what it had taken Quinn herself a couple of months to work out. Whistling silently Santana glanced at the little diva and wondered if Quinn realised yet that it wasn't _entirely _one sided. Deciding that caution was the way to go the Latina yanked on her sisters shirt sleeve, pulling her towards the kitchen.

"Come on, ma will bring Rachel into the kitchen when she's finished the tour, in the meantime _you _need to taste test my punch…it's a new recipe."

Always eager to act as guinea pig to Santana's creative demons, Quinn traipsed into the kitchen and regarded the bowl of cream coloured punch that was half gone.

"Well it cant be _that _bad it's already half gone…oh _crap _I meant to tell you before! Princess is a vegan."

Smirking at the nickname her sister had let slip Santana rolled her eyes and ladled out two glasses of punch before passing one to the hockey player.

"Luckily for you mom has a mind like a steel trap and _already _told me. Everything is vegan friendly, except of course the turkey and pigs in blankets."

Arching a blonde eyebrow in disbelief Quinn had to double check, especially as she took a sip of the cocktail that Santana had created. It was mildly alcoholic, as in there was very little of it included. It tasted like warm milk crossed with Bailey's and fresh cream.

"There is no way that this cocktail is vegan friendly, it tastes too _good _to not be made from the real stuff!"

Santana grinned and they both turned to Rachel as she walked through the door with Dave, and their parents, Brittany bringing up the rear. Quinn flushed slightly and avoided the blonde girls eyes as she felt a fresh wave of shame wash over her as she remembered her past behaviour. Santana raised an eyebrow but said nothing as she passed a glass to the little diva.

"Quinn seems _convinced _that this cant be vegan friendly…which frankly is insulting to my talent but whatever, I need the opinion of an expert when it comes to vegan food Berry so you're up."

Slightly wide eyed at the implied weight the Latina was placing on her shoulders. Rachel relaxed when she caught Quinn's slight wink and playing up to the role of expert vegan, she cleared her throat and took a long considering sip.

"It _is _vegan…it's also amazing! I need to know _how _you made this because I think my mouth just fell in love with you."

All eyes swivelled in the direction of the hockey player as she began to choke on the mouthful of punch she just inhaled the wrong way. Rachel was the first one to move and she smiled slightly as she banged the hockey player on the back to clear her airway.

"You don't have to be _that _surprised Quinn, I keep telling you vegan food can be tasty. Although _anything _other than junk food would be a shock to your system I guess."

Glaring up from under her scraggly hair, Quinn drew in a grateful breath. Then standing up she carefully took another mouthful and _finally _felt half normal.

"Can it Princess…I just meant it tasted like _milk _to me, or as though milk or cream was used in making it. Then again I should be used to Santana's ability to make _anything _taste good…even that meal I tried to cook once."

There was a universal sound of four adults whistling through their teeth in pained remembrance as Quinn cringed. Brittany just glanced at Rachel with a smile and shrugged as they both turned to the two sisters. Hazel eyes pointedly glared while Santana rolled hers.

"I am _sworn _to secrecy, if I tell you I have to let Quinn cut my hair and that will _never _happen!"

"Yeah…but _I _never got sworn to secrecy."

Quinn turned around and groaned when she took in the slightly playful smirk on her brothers face. Without thinking she let her forehead fall onto Rachel's shoulder and hid her face in the crook of the skaters neck. Before she could freeze up at the realisation of what she had done, she felt Rachel's delicate hand gently pat her head consolingly.

"There, there Gretzky I'm sure it can be _that _bad?"

Santana started laughing as she handed a drink to everyone and they made their way back through to the lounge. Quinn cheered up slightly as she grabbed a cookie from one of the overflowing plates laid out on the coffee table. Taking a hearty bite she moaned slightly and remembering Rachel was there swallowed before speaking.

"Oh…_wow_, these are just amazing, what did you change to make them taste better S?"

Santana settled herself onto one of the large sofa's with Brittany and smirked. Dave took one of the easy chairs while Sofia took the other after moving Lily into her lap. The two of them were grinning goofily at each other and completely unaware of the pleased smirks on their kids faces. Quinn took the other sofa and without thinking pulled lightly on Rachel's hand until the diva was settled next to her. She passed her a piece of the cookie and after looking to Santana who nodded to confirm it was vegan friendly, Rachel devoured it and made a noise similar to Quinn. The blonde turned back to her sister and raised an expectant eyebrow.

"The _only _difference Q is that it's made with a vegan diet in mind, that's all."

Licking the crumbs off her lips she and Rachel glanced down at the plate and both noticed there was only one toffee pecan cookie left. After a moments Mexican standoff they both reached at once. They were unaware of the others watching them curiously, Lily wondered if Rachel had yet worked out that when it came to food, _especially _anything sweet, Quinn was very much like Joey from Friends…she didn't share food! When both girls grabbed it at the same time there was an intake of breath, and several jaws dropped when with one bat of dark eyelashes later Quinn relinquished her claim on the sweet treat. They were equally shocked when instead of sulking and loud words the blonde only pouted. Rolling her eyes Rachel broke it in half and raised her eyebrow. After a moments pause Quinn opened her mouth happily and accepted her half. They both realised it was quiet and turned to the rest of the family who physically shook themselves. Sensing the slight atmosphere Brittany cleared her throat.

"Well, I apologise in advance Quinn but I have _got _to find out about this meal you tried to cook…was it really that bad?"

Quinn grimaced again while Santana laughed not so discreetly into her girlfriends shoulder. Dave grinned and rubbed his hands together, if it had just been a matter of embarrassing Quinn he wouldn't have bothered. But the fact was, it had been so _sweet _in it's intention and he figured that showing Rachel that side of his too guarded sister could only be a good thing. Sensing she wasn't going to be able to get him to maintain his silence Quinn just sighed and snagged one of the chocolate chip cookies motioning for him to tell the brunette. Rachel relaxed now she knew that the hockey player wasn't really that bothered by her brother telling the story. Smiling she settled back into the sofa, leaning sideways into Quinn and tucking her feet up underneath her.

"Okay well…I may forget _some _of the details but it was a Sunday, that much I remember clearly because I had football that afternoon and Q had a basketball game that night. Anyway, it was our mom's fifth wedding anniversary and we all wanted to do something nice. We all knew that Santana was the best cook so she claimed that she would bake the cake, I had made a carved wooden mural type thing…"

Quinn felt the need to interrupt at that.

"Don't be modest Dave…what he _actually _did Rach was take one of the pictures of the three of us together and he carved and burnt it into wood…mom cried, it's like one of their most treasured possessions."

Dave flushed a bright red as he always did when anyone complimented him and rubbed his neck. Smiling slightly at Quinn for her vocal reassurance of his talent he cleared his throat and carried on.

"Anyway, Quinn started to panic because she was only good at stuff that _she _considered was useless. She tried drawing but gave up after the fifth pencil broke, pottery went much worse and we never mention it now…_ever_! Eventually she decided that while she couldn't do anything artistic she _would _be able to make breakfast in bed."

Sighing Quinn felt herself fidgeting in a mix of amusement and embarrassment as she remembered her one and only foray into that particular field. Without speaking or looking away from where David was speaking to her, Rachel linked her hand with the hockey players and squeezed slightly. Smiling softly the blonde decided maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

"Santana had gone out early to buy the ingredients for the cake and pick up the special tin she ordered and I was in the garage applying a final coat of varnish to the picture. So Quinn ventured into the kitchen to make her very first cooked breakfast. It _might _have been okay if she hadn't got distracted and put the eggs in the toaster as opposed to the poacher…or even the bacon in the teapot. Oh and the coffee machine was _never _meant to have sugar put _inside _it."

Rachel turned to the flushed Blonde and smiling softly just tilted her head in silent question. After a moments hesitation Quinn finally admitted.

"I was like _fifteen _at the time and it's not my fault that they put the stupid movie on the same time I was trying to cook."

Rachel bit her lip in deliberation for a moment before just asking.

"What movie was it that had you so drawn in you had no idea what you were doing?"

Not wanting to admit to a film that wasn't '_cool' _at the time, especially not for kids her age she just shrugged. But when Santana pointedly cleared her throat Quinn rolled her hazel eyes and sighed.

"The movie version of Phantom of the Opera…it had been years since I'd watched something that just pulled me in like that. I wasn't expecting it and so things went…_awry_."

Sofia laughed politely at that and even Lily couldn't stop the grin. Sensing that _awry _was an understatement the diva turned to Dave for clarification, he grinned and carried on.

"If it had been a matter of cleaning up distractions we might have been okay…until of course she turned everything on. The toaster exploded, then burst into flames. Followed about a minute later by the coffee machine. _Which _of course set the smoke alarm off, in attempting to deal with that little set of explosions Quinn managed to trip over the equipment bag she left in the hallway and dropped the orange juice. To top things off mom and ma who had been um…doing what people celebrating an anniversary _generally _do, came running out to fight the fire."

Rachel glanced at Quinn with sympathy, bad enough that her surprise had gone wrong, but to then interrupt her mom's and have to see them rush out half dressed…yeah, the brunette was pretty sure _she _would be cringing too. Only that wasn't the end of the story and her eyes widened as Dave fought his laughter to finish.

"So…Quinn is face down on the floor stunned, mom and ma came skidding into the hallway, which was tiled then by the way, and hit the slick of orange juice which sent them both skidding down the hall and towards the front door. However in the meantime the neighbours had heard the bang of the exploding appliances and _assumed _that it was gunshots as there was a cop living here. So the door gets broken down literally just as mom and ma are about to hit it, and instead of the door they end up knocking down the uniformed officers who had been sent to investigate the suspected 'gunshots'."

Santana was double over with amusement by this point and Brittany had tears of laughter streaming down her face. Both their mom's were looking at each other with a mix of amusement and affection as they recalled the rather _embarrassing _ensuing conversation with the puzzled uniformed officers and Lily's partner. Rachel was chuckling but didn't want to laugh outright in case it really _would _hurt her skating partner. Quinn however grinned lopsidedly at her and leaning forward confessed another little detail.

"It might not have been that bad expect I was yet _again _wearing torn boxers…I swear I _do _have ones that aren't ripped!"

At that, Rachel recognised that the hockey player was _truly _embracing the humour of the situation and gave herself over to the laughter. Santana glanced at her sister, taking the chance to observe her in a rare unguarded moment. What struck her the most was how…_genuinely _happy the blonde looked as she kept glancing at the giggling diva. Occasionally she would jokingly pout until Rachel would reach up and of all things tweak the hockey players nose until she started giggling again. Santana looked across to her mom's to see that they had _also _noticed the relaxed and yet intense unity the two figure skaters were displaying. The rest of the night passed by in a similar relaxed fashion, with Santana admitting to stapling herself to the wall when she tried to help Dave with some redecorating. Dave also raised his hand and chose to divulge that the _one _time he had tried to set foot on the ice he fell over banged his head and ended up in the ER with six stitches. Rachel found that although she had only met the family once before she felt so comfortable around them it was unreal. And given the spirit of the evening reluctantly told them of her unfortunately bad attempt at ice hockey with Quinn. Eventually the punch was finished and there weren't even crumbs on the cookie platters. Rachel had no idea how late it was until she found herself stifling a yawn for the third time in as many minutes. The hockey player nudged her gently and when sleepy brown eyes met hers she smiled softly.

"Come on Princess, you look like you need to crash…and tomorrow you'll need your energy for the days eating, _believe _me!"

Smiling back the diva watched Quinn get to her feet and stretch before she offered her hand to help pull Rachel to hers. Turning to interrupt her moms who were trying to steal a quick, and to be honest perfectly chaste kiss, the hockey player grimaced.

"Gross, I told you before old people _don't _kiss mom!"

Her ma flung a cushion at her and she ducked with a grin, then staggered slightly as Rachel smacked her gently from behind with another one. Rolling her eyes she muttered an apology and then gestured with her thumb back towards the bedrooms.

"What room is Rachel in?"

Santana spoke up before Lily could.

"I'm afraid the poor woman has to share with _you_! The spare room has all Dave's stuff in it and Brittany is in with me."

Quinn's eyes widened and she glanced at the bedroom door that before had always been a place of comfort and solitude. Somehow though she doubted that Rachel would approve of the Playboy centrefolds on the ceiling…_or _the scattered laundry she was pretty sure she had left on the floor. She cringed again as she tried to remember the last time she'd changed the bedclothes. Dave swept in to the rescue as always…well _sort of _anyway.

"It's fine Q, relax I cleaned through there when I did the rest of the house yesterday. I got rid of all the rubbish and it actually smells like something _other _than old pizza and sweat socks in there now…and why the _hell _was there chocolate sauce _in _your bed?"

Flushing a bright red Quinn wondered if she could get away with drowning her brother in the dregs of the punch. But Rachel pulled on her sleeve again and fighting down the fact she found the gesture incredibly cute she tore her glare away from her grinning sibling and softened it to smile at her partner.

"Trust me Gretzky, I've seen your chalet remember, it _cant _be any worse than that."

Grinning despite her urge to trip Dave over, Quinn nodded and noticing they still had their hands linked turned and said goodnight. Rachel did as well and after a chorus of goodnights in return the blonde led the way to her room. Taking a deep breath she opened the door and switched the light on, closing it behind her she took in the room and tried not to let her jaw drop. Cleaning was an understatement! Dave had repainted the walls so instead of the dingy grey they had turned into they were back to the sky blue they had originally been. The carpet had been replaced with wood flooring and a large rug which featured the Batman signal (that caused a grin) The bed was also new as well as the bedding, he had repaired the broken bookshelves and wardrobe and the clothes inside were all neatly organized and pressed. She noticed he had fitted doors to the very bottom of the bookshelf which was where the Playboy's were and she mentally wiped her brow in relief. The posters of her favourite sports stars were there but they were in frames now not pinned to the walls. The playboy ones were thankfully gone and instead the one wall she had used to consider the 'fun wall' had been transformed. Instead of the girly pictures it held family snapshots both she and the others had taken and several shelves of her trophies and awards. Both for sports, that she was openly proud of, and science competition ones (that she was _secretly _proud of). Turning to Rachel the diva raised an eyebrow and half smiled.

"I'm assuming from your expression that Dave did a _little _more than clean up for you huh?"

Scratching the side of her nose Quinn half shrugged one shoulder and couldn't believe that while her room was still very definitely a reflection of her…it was the _real _her and not the one she had portrayed before. Shaking her head slightly she smiled.

"You have _no _idea…now what side of the bed does the Princess require?"

Ignoring the half bow that Quinn directed her way, Rachel rolled her eyes and rummaged in her bag for her pyjamas and wash kit.

"It's your bed you big dork, and judging from the bedside tables I'm gathering you use the left one so I'll take the other side."

Smiling she ducked into Quinn's en suite and closed the door with a click. Sagging in relief the blonde checked her playboy's were still there (she was after all still herself, and they _were _an investment!) which they were. Belatedly she tried to remember if she actually _owned _any pyjamas. Wracking her brain she realised she hadn't worn any for like six years now and cursing she ripped her door open, mouth ready to ask for assistance. Which turned out _not _to be needed as Sofia passed her some old Fire Department shorts and a T shirt with a raised eyebrow. Quinn exhaled in relief and muttered.

"Thanks…I didn't even _think _we might have to share a bed! What if I say something, or touch her in the night or…"

Reaching out, her ma gently lay a hand on her babbling daughters forearm. When she was _sure _the blonde had subsided she spoke.

"Just tell her up front that you're not used to sharing a bed and apologise in advance in case you _do, _do anything inappropriate. You'll be fine…she's nice Quinn, _really _nice."

Letting her fears drop from her face in favour of a slightly dreamy grin the hockey player leant on her doorframe with a sigh.

"I know…believe me _I know_. I'll see you in the morning okay?"

Leaning forward to press a gentle kiss to the troubled blondes forehead Sofia smiled.

"Sleep well kiddo…and _no _sneaking out to eat the frosting. Santana will tie you to your chair tomorrow if you even _think _about it. You know how protective she is of her ingredients."

Smirking Quinn shook her head and disappeared back inside her bedroom, swiftly changing into the bedclothes her ma had leant to her. Her eyes widened when she realised exactly how _short _the shorts were however. She was still yanking at them with irritation when Rachel emerged fresh from the bathroom. Raising a quizzical eyebrow at the hockey players odd behaviour she set her dirty clothes to one side.

"What on _earth _are you doing with those shorts Quinn?"

Growling slightly in mild frustration the blonde stopped trying to yank the offending item of clothing down to _actually _cover her butt cheeks. Propping her hands on her hips she gestured to herself as she looked at Rachel.

"I think these must have shrunk or something because there is no _way _that my ass used to fit in these! I mean look, these things might as well be sprayed on!"

She turned round and jerked her thumb over her shoulder and towards the garment in question. The phrase 'two eggs in a handkerchief' came to Rachel's mind and she blushed at herself before clearing her throat.

"Th…they're going to be fine for sleeping in Gretzky. They _actually _look really good on you, so does the top."

Rachel mumbled the last half of the sentence and frowning down at the T shirt Quinn realised _that _was a little tight as well. Her last thought as she lay down on her side of the bed was confused. Part of her was happy to have Rachel lying next to her despite the revealing nightwear. Also…what on earth was her ma trying to do, put her on _display_? Conscious of the diva curled on her side next to her Quinn settled onto her back and yawning tiredly reached out and gently squeezed the skaters hand.

"Night Princess."

Opening sleepy eyes, Rachel smiled slightly and wriggled a bit closer. She was surprised but pleased when Quinn lifted her arm enough for the brunette to cuddle into her shoulder…after all it _was _a cold night.

Across the way Lily smirked as she watched her wife change for bed.

"You _actually _gave her the short shorts?"

Grinning happily the fire inspector slipped into her wife's old police academy t shirt and then slid into the bed with a happy sigh.

"What sort of mother would I be if I didn't help her along…a little?"

Setting her novel to one side Lily grinned and wriggled carefully down the mattress before turning the bedside lamp off.

"If Rachel reacts to those damn shorts the same way _I _did Quinn wont be able to walk tomorrow. I keep forgetting she's an adult now you know…I _almost _pulled them both aside to go through the house rules when it came to sharing a bed!"

Snorting in amusement the taller blonde reached out and doused her light as well before pulling Lily into her arms gently and kissing her temple.

"Thank god you didn't I think we embarrassed her enough…I just hope Quinn _doesn't _work out that there's nothing wrong with the guestroom! Did we really raise children as devious as Santana?"

Lily smiled against the soft skin of Sofia's neck and chuckled.

"Yes but _you _can take the blame for that, you were the one they came to for romance advice after all. I hope those two realise what they could have though, Rachel is good for Quinn and I honestly think Quinn would try to move the world if Rachel batted those brown eyes in the right way."

They both laughed softly and wondered exactly what else Santana and Dave had in mind when it came to helping their sister along the path to true love. Whether Rachel Berry or Quinn Fabray were aware of it they would have a _lot _of un asked for help on that particular road!

_Okay…polling time again chaps and chapesses! (yes I made that word up and am rather proud of it!) Do you think it's almost time for their first kiss or should it play out a bit longer? I had two plot devices in mind to encourage a little closeness so feel free to say what you would prefer…time for Faberry kissing or do we make them wait a bit longer? Secondly…and this is purely hypothetical of course (honest) if I were writing a mush filled humorous Christmas extravaganza story in the Pay Attention Fabray! Universe…what and who would you guys specifically like to see included…hypothetically of course (innocent whistling) you rock as always xxxxxxxxxxxxx_


	9. Chapter 9

Rachel was the first to awaken the next morning, and for a long moment she wondered where on earth she was. Blinking a couple of times, she took in the darkened room and more importantly the woman she had her arms wrapped around. She smiled slightly as she realised that Quinn was still out like a light and nestled close to her. The blonde's hair looked even wilder than normal and if Rachel wasn't mistaken she could swear Quinn was sucking her thumb. Reaching up and across with one delicate hand she moved aside the tousled locks of hair. The hockey player smiled in her sleep faintly and pulled Rachel closer to her, the brunette smiled sadly as she allowed herself a few more moments to enjoy the embrace. Then very carefully, so as not to disturb the softly snoring blonde, she slid out from under the duvet and carefully tucked it back around Quinn. Stifling a yawn Rachel changed into some jeans and a thick sweater, one eye watching her skating partner the whole time so as not to wake her.

Once dressed, she moved softly back towards the bed and found herself smiling fondly at the sleeping hockey player. Quinn was curled up in a little ball and with her hand still fisted with the thumb up she resembled a small child as opposed to the cynical adult she preferred to present herself as. Biting her lower lip, the diva felt a swell of new and confusing emotions well up within her. She wished that she had somehow known the blonde when she was smaller, that she could have protected her from an indifferent father, drunken mother and worse. Reaching out, she traced the very faint white line of a jagged scar that started just under the hockey players jaw and disappeared down into the neckline of the T Shirt. She'd noticed it before and wanted to ask, but until recently they could barely be civil to each other, let alone take part in intimate conversations. Now though, things were different and the little diva found herself completely off balance for the first time in her life.

Whatever was happening between her and Quinn was something she couldn't deny, and she wasn't sure she would even if she had the ability to. She smiled faintly as the hockey player sighed softly and unconsciously moved herself closer into the brunette's soft touch. Closing her eyes for a long moment Rachel tried to reorder her thoughts, for all she knew this was how you felt in a friendship;, I mean it wasn't like she had enough friends to know. She swallowed the lump in her throat at the admission, it wasn't that she didn't want friends, she was just too much for most people and they never stuck around long enough. Quinn had but she had no choice as she was saving for her mom's operation, if not for that she would have left as well, wouldn't she? There was so much she didn't know but she couldn't deny the unfamiliar feelings that were being stirred up within her.

And that was the most worrying thing. She thought she was in love with Finn; he was a nice pleasant guy who seemed to care about her feelings. She didn't see him as much as she perhaps should but she understood that given her career and his that was an inevitability. And it made the times when they did see each other all the more important. But that was the crux of the matter right there! Important yes, but not special, she never thought of her time with him as special. In fact his last fleeting visit had been anything but because she couldn't stop thinking about the argument she had with Quinn and the way the blonde hockey player had left. She had looked so…well not angry exactly but more, betrayed. The word fell into place among the diva's jumbled thoughts and she gasped quietly. That was what had been wrong; despite the fact she was engaged to Finn it was Quinn she felt she had betrayed when he had walked in on the unplanned intimate moment between the two skaters. And Quinn had obviously felt it as well, Finn was who she should have been comforting that day, but instead it was the hockey player's face she couldn't shake from her mind.

Chewing thoughtfully on her lip she tried to remember the feel of Finn's arms around her, his lips on hers but when she did, she felt cold. Before Quinn had come into her life she had been able to recall moments with Finn and although it sometimes took a while she could muster up that familiar warm feeling. But now there was nothing, worse than that though, was the fact she suddenly realised how large his arms were, the way they swallowed and, almost suffocated her when they wrapped around her. His hands that completely covered hers and the too wet, too insistent kisses. Glancing down at the slumbering hockey player she closed her eyes and in a flash the memory of their touches flooded her mind. The way they held each other when skating, when Quinn had helped her off the ice. The unexpected gallantry when she helped her into the car and with it came the feeling that had been missing from her life so far. The warmth of real affection with nothing expected in return but for her to accept it. Suddenly, her eyes flew open again and she swallowed down the cry in her throat as she realised that with Quinn she felt loved.

Standing hastily she paused for a moment and laid a hand on her suddenly pounding heart. Reaching out with a trembling hand she made sure that Quinn was safe and warm under the covers and decided that it was time to distract herself. This holiday was throwing up so many things in her head, things she had never expected to feel. As much as a part of her wanted to get undressed again and slide back into bed to just hold the irascible blonde, she wouldn't, couldn't. Not yet, there were still far too many things she had to work out in order for things to be right. One thing was clear, she would need to have a long talk with Finn, once she knew for certain what she wanted. To do anything before then would be unfair to all three of them. And there was always the chance that despite the hockey player's change in behaviour she just wanted one thing. She hated herself for even entertaining the thought but it would be foolish for her to ignore the warning bells going off in her head, especially when she was only just getting to know the real Quinn Fabray.

However, something else occurred to her at that point and she found the confusion and worry giving way to something else. The pleasant realisation that she was surrounded by people who were all too familiar with the real Quinn, and with careful and cunning questioning (which she personally thought she was very adroit at) she could find out. With her mind made up and a new goal in mind, the competitive Rachel Berry nodded to herself and with a new purpose in her step made her way out of the bedroom quietly so as not to disturb the slumbering blonde. Although she had so far never asked directly she assumed that Quinn found sleep difficult most nights. The dark rings under the hazel eyes and the sometimes clumsy coordination told the story that Quinn didn't. As soon as she looked up from closing the door her eyes widened in pleasant shock and she inhaled the aroma of something heavenly. Almost against her will her feet led her to the kitchen doorway where she took in the now familiar form of Santana. She had never before seen the Latina in action however and it was something to behold. She was moving from one bowl of ingredients to another with a fluidity that on the ice would have earned her a clear 6.0! She couldn't help but chuckle however at the contrast of the Snow White domesticity coupled with the obscene rap music blaring from the stereo that the Latina was singing along with loudly. At the diva's laughter however, Santana's eyes snapped up from the bowl of batter she was mixing and she smiled with mild embarrassment. Reaching over to turn the music down she cleared her throat.

"Wow, bit light on your feet there aren't you short stack?"

Rolling her eyes at the nickname (a habit that seemed to run in this household), Rachel perched on one of the breakfast bar stools and deftly snagged a slice of kiwi from the chopped fruit.

"Comes with the territory when your feet are your living, I wasn't sure if anyone would be awake actually. At home I'm always the first one up."

Grinning slightly, the Latina rapped lightly on Rachel's knuckles with the wooden spoon that was lying on the side.

"Rule Number One in Santana's kitchen, don't mess with the ingredients! And as for waking early pretty much everyone in this house wakes early. I say pretty much because Quinn usually surfaces around midday."

Feeling an odd need to defend the hockey player, Rachel propped her chin in one hand and spoke perhaps a bit more defensively than she realised.

"She's always on time for practice, in fact she annoyingly beats _me _to the ice some mornings!"

She found herself smiling faintly at the unintended miniature war the two of them had began on who could be on the ice earliest in the mornings. Coach Schu had put an end to that the morning he turned up and found the two of them fast asleep in the comfy corner. Santana smirked inwardly at the protective attitude the diva had taken, outwardly however she smiled softly and explained.

"I know, mostly it's because she only got to sleep about four or five that morning. She's always been a night owl I guess."

Fiddling idly with the hem of her sweater with her free hand, Rachel hesitated for a fraction of a moment before ploughing ahead. She did after all want to find out about Quinn.

"I sometimes get the feeling that she doesn't sleep very well even when she's tired…?"

Turning the statement into a half question, Rachel found herself pinned by a pair of deep brown eyes that were almost scarily intelligent. Santana regarded the woman in front of her for a long moment then turned toward the coffee machine. Rachel frowned, assuming she had either been dismissed or ignored and she was on the verge of getting up and leaving when the Latina turned back around and set a cup in front of herself and then Rachel. After a long moment where the diva added cream and sugar, Santana finally let out a small breath and spoke.

"Quinn is very complex, that's not to say that most people are easy. I mean, let's face it, the average human psyche is a combination of a Rubik's cube and a puzzle with missing pieces but most people _want_ someone to work out those puzzles."

She paused for a moment to take a sip of her own black coffee and seeing the diva's wandering eyes, pushed the plate of sliced fruit towards her with a roll of her own. Smiling gratefully, Rachel took a slice of melon this time and waited for the Latina to continue.

"I remember when she first got here, Dave and I had been here maybe a year by then and I suppose we mistakenly thought of Quinn as our baby sister. I mean, we still do, not that she will ever admit to that but she was so closed off and mistrustful when she first got here it was scary. Even now we don't know her full back story, she keeps the details to herself, but what we do know tells a story we wish it didn't. Her dad is still around, though now he's warming a cell on death row for killing three people in a bank raid gone bad. She doesn't acknowledge it and when the police came to inform her she just picked up her baseball bat and went to practice as usual. I want you to understand that normally I wouldn't be sharing any of this with you."

Rachel nodded firmly, somehow she instinctively knew that despite their differences, the two sisters would always be there to watch each other's backs. Which of course led her to the question

"So why are you telling me now? I mean why _me_?"

Pausing to check on a pan of something simmering on the stove, Santana sat back down and after regarding the diva with scarily honest eyes, she carried on.

"You're different Rachel, she looks at you in a way that, well, that quite frankly we had all given up hope of ever seeing her bestow on someone. I don't know what you did Rachel Berry, but you got to her."

Flushing bright red the tiny diva found herself looking down and toying with a slice of strawberry as she wondered how to answer. Eventually she decided that in the spirit of the conversation, nothing short of honesty was appropriate.

"I know my life is nothing like Quinn's or yours, but believe it or not in some ways we are quite similar. She got through to me too, in ways that I didn't know actually existed outside of romance novels and movies. She's an amazing woman if only she would open her eyes and see herself the way you all do, the way I do."

She finished quietly and took a sip of her coffee to disguise the lump in her throat. Santana remained silent for a long moment as she waited, sensing the diva had more to say. Sure enough after a few mouthfuls she looked back up and confessed.

"But things are difficult and I don't know what to do. I mean, I know how I see her when she lets me but she herself has told me the way she views relationships and sex. I _don't _think she sees me that way but I don't know for sure and sometimes she pushes me so far away"

Trailing off, Rachel picked up another slice of melon even though eating was the furthest thing from her mind at that point. Knowing that was her cue to butt in, Santana chewed a grape with great concentration for a moment. She knew things were different with Quinn when it came to Rachel and she wanted to let the confused diva know that. But at the same time Quinn was her sister and although the blonde would balk if she ever knew it, Santana was fiercely protective of her. She knew better than anyone how many times the hockey player had been betrayed and she would never do that to her. It was a fine line she was walking at that point but in the end she knew that getting these two together would be the best thing for both of them.

"Listen up short stack, what I'm about to tell you is one hundred percent confidential. Q has had so many people do her over that she expects it as a matter of routine. But that was before she met me and I wont ever let anyone do that to her again. Having said that, she has fallen for you and she doesn't know how to handle it, I'm doing it to help her and if you ever cause me to regret that…"

She trailed off threateningly and Rachel found herself swallowing nervously, despite the jolt of fear that shot down her spine at the Latina's glare, she couldn't help but feel a sense of warmth as well. Because it was obvious that Santana loved Quinn dearly and that helped her find the courage to nod in agreement at the unfinished threat.

"Shortly after Quinn got here, I figure she was around fifteen or so. Anyway back then mom and ma were both disgustingly healthy and one of the first things they did was build this well, technically it's a tree house but they had this rule. The house was for family, if we had anything we wanted or needed to keep to ourselves, then we could but not in the house. Although our rooms were private, sacrosanct in fact, they were for family. If we needed to blow off steam, do things we weren't technically allowed to, then we couldn't bring it into the house. I mean they were smart enough to know that with our backgrounds there might be things we felt the impulse to do that we technically shouldn't. So to stop us from doing them in dangerous areas they built this den for us. I'm not going to go into why Dave needed it because that's his business but as for me I had a coke habit way back in the day."

She paused and waited, normally someone would give something away at this point. If not outright disgust, then there was superiority or in the rare and actually worse cases, there was pity. Rachel however, simply inclined her head in acknowledgement of the information and waited for the Latina to continue. Nodding slightly Santana smiled inside as she got a glimpse of why exactly Quinn had fallen for the tiny diva.

"I was having a bad day, I forget why now but it was one of those days where the urge was just getting way too much for me to fight and so I headed for the fort. I was climbing up there when I heard sounds. Now I wasn't stupid and I knew that Quinn was a bit more sexually active than either Dave or me but it wasn't until that day I realised how much. Now I'm telling you this because I need you to understand her, to do that I need you to not just listen to what I'm saying but to understand it too."

She paused and waited for Rachel's confused but definite nod, then she let out a small breath and sent up a prayer to a God she rarely trusted to help the diva understand the moral behind this particular memory.

"Quinn was really sporty, it was the one thing that helped to stop her falling in with the wrong groups. She played soccer, basketball, softball and even ran track, and in every one of these sports she excelled. If not for that I doubt she would have been motivated enough to finish high school. Anyway because of her prowess and orientation, she was proving very popular with the cheerleaders, even the straight ones. To them, it was a way of gaining cool points and status for being with the school's top jock. I have no idea, even to this day what Quinn got out of it because after that day I knew it wasn't what everyone thought."

Now Rachel was really confused and she almost asked before remembering that Santana was already telling her. It was just that the Latina had to do it in her own time and so the diva swallowed down her questions and managed to squash her usual impatient nature. The Latina shook her head slightly at herself and tried to remain objective, it was hard because even now it invoked her a sorrow that she found hard to quell.

"I peered inside and saw Quinn with Maria Santiago, she was the head cheerleader and almost three years older then Q, but you wouldn't think it if you'd found them together. Maria was the one half naked and begging for attention, attention that Quinn was lavishing her with, I mean I don't know where or when Q learnt to do that stuff but she knew exactly what to do. Now most jocks, hell, most red-blooded individuals would be enjoying themselves knowing that they had reduced the head cheerleader to nothing more than a bundle of pleas and whimpers. But when I actually looked at Quinn, she looked, her eyes looked dead Rachel. She wasn't in the least bit connected to what she was doing, she was saying and doing all the right things but it was automatic. She was still fully clothed and although she was saying the right things, she just, she wasn't there short stack."

Pausing to pour them both more coffee, Santana frowned as she remembered that look in her sister's eyes and tried not to shiver. Looking back up, she could see the genuine sorrow in the smaller brunette's eyes and she softened her tone as she continued.

"I just left and pretended I hadn't seen anything but the one thing I noticed was that no matter who she was with or how good she got at emulating emotion, there was always a distance in those hazel eyes, until now. When she looks at you Rachel, it's almost too much to witness."

Pausing to try and find the words to express what she meant, the Latina cursed internally that she had never become as adept with words as she was with food.

"Around you Quinn's the person she should have been all along. There's so much emotion in her eyes when she's looking at you, that it's almost like that scene in Raiders, you know when they open the Ark of the Covenant and it kills everyone. Okay that might not be quite what I mean because she doesn't want to kill anyone but bear with me here, words are really not my forte. The point is, instead of a guarded emptiness, you can suddenly see everything she's thinking and feeling. Whatever you have heard from Quinn herself or other people is pretty much redundant now, because when it comes to _you_, she's a different person."

Finishing her coffee, Rachel watched as Santana went back to finishing the batter and the rest of whatever she was working on. Deep in thought for a moment, the diva thought back to the first time she had seen something different in the hockey player's eyes. It had actually been in unguarded moments; it had been, right from the beginning she realised. A part of her felt lighter as she realised that she _hadn't _been imagining that soft light in the other woman's eyes. It was real, despite what Quinn said about herself and the way she portrayed her past, she was in fact genuinely honest about the way she felt for Rachel. Smiling slightly she realised that in some ways it made things a lot easier; now all she had to do was have a very difficult conversation with Finn. She didn't want to start anything with Quinn that would be a sour note when looked back on. So she would take the time, talk to her parents and then to Finn but she knew now what she wanted. Blowing out a breath, the diva stood up and having caught Santana's eye, she smiled faintly before speaking in a soft but incredibly intense way.

"I won't hurt her, I promise. And thank you for telling me something that I know you struggled with. I know it might seem that I'm the one that's in a position to do the hurting but as you have been so honest with me I feel it's only right to be as honest with you. Things are difficult because I am currently engaged."

She watched the Latina's eyebrows rise into her hairline as a faint look of trepidation crept into the dark orbs. Rachel swiftly carried on wanting to reassure her of where she stood.

"I'm telling you because despite that, Quinn has stirred something in me I haven't ever felt before. I want to be entirely fair to her about the whole thing because after everything else she deserves to feel something true and untainted. I need to think very carefully about things and make a decision that hopefully won't make her feel as though she has pushed me into something. If things are meant to be between us, then it should happen properly. I don't want to be a cheater and Quinn deserves so much more than to feel like the other woman."

For a weighted moment, the two brunettes just stood there and stared at each other, eventually Santana grinned and in a gesture that everyone in the house except Rachel knew meant a great deal, she threw a spare apron to the diva.

"You're alright, for a privileged diva that is. Now put that on and come help me make breakfast before the ravenous hordes descend upon us."

Although she knew nothing of the significance of the offer of an apron, she did know that the Latina rarely allowed help in the kitchen. So with a grin, she swiftly tied the apron on and followed the instructions Santana issued in a clear and commanding voice. Within half an hour the two of them were working together smoothly and Rachel was appropriately awed as she added the latest batch of pancakes to the massive pile already on the warmer.

"Is this really all going to get eaten?, It seems like you cooked enough for the whole street, let alone this house!"

Laughing, Santana sprinkled a fine layer of icing sugar over the glazed fruit. Setting down the canister she raised an eyebrow.

"Trust me this is nothing! This lot will demolish it in no time, well okay mostly it will be Dave and Quinn. Dave because he always eats a lot and Quinn because she can't cook toast without setting fire to something so whenever she's home she devours it like a bear preparing for hibernation."

Rachel rolled her eyes, and under the Latina's direction, stirred the pot of oatmeal that was resting on the stove top.

"I know, I think if it's possible she would exist on anything made by Reese's or anything that can be cooked in a microwave. How on earth she stays so slim is beyond me considering what she eats!"

Nodding in agreement, Santana dipped a spoon into the oatmeal and after tasting it, nodded slightly. Pausing to rinse the spoon before dipping it in again, she offered it to Rachel who looked sceptical.

"I'm not normally a fan of oatmeal, it's usually so cloggy and heavy but as you look very insistent I shall taste it."

Grinning widely at the fact that the diva had picked up on the not so subtle hint, she watched as Rachel took the spoon. A second later, her eyes widened and she licked her lips.

"Unbelievable!, I know you must hear this all the time but you really are amazingly talented Santana. I can understand why Quinn refuses meals if she's used to this and this is honestly all vegan friendly?"

Rolling her eyes at the scepticism in the smaller brunette's voice, Santana nodded and taking the saucepan from the stove, she transferred the contents to a serving bowl and placed a sprinkling of brown sugar over the top. As she moved to place it on the already loaded table, she continued talking.

"Yep, one hundred percent! Even the bacon and eggs are substitutes. I know Quinn will cry that it's sacrilegious to eat imitation bacon but it won't stop her. And between you and me, this vegan diet is an excuse to get healthier food inside of her, plus, she generally can't tell the difference."

They shared a secretive smile and then looked up as a sleepy voiced and tousle-haired Quinn spoke from where she was leaning on the doorframe.

"Is breakfast ready yet? I'm starving San."

Santana rolled her eyes and indicated that Quinn should take a seat. Grinning happily, the hockey player slid into her seat, rolling up the sleeves of a Blackhawk hockey jersey like she was getting ready for an eating competition. Rachel took the seat next to her and grinned as she saw the name Gretzky emblazoned on the back of the replica jersey, catching the blonde's eye, she raised a dark eyebrow. Smirking slightly Quinn shrugged.

"I found it in the back of my closet and it seemed appropriate."

Shaking her head, Rachel nudged the blonde's shoulder lightly with her own and they shared a giggle. Santana looked on with a faint smile that only grew wider when she noticed Brittany make her way in. Smiling shyly at the two skaters, she walked towards the Latina and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. Quinn and Rachel were watching without trying to _look _as though they were watching, when Santana deepened the kiss, Rachel spoke out of the side of her mouth.

"Do you think they forgot we're sitting here?"

Quinn roared with laughter as the Latina deftly flipped them off while refusing to break the embrace she had her girlfriend in.

"I'm guessing that no, she's very well aware that we are here?"

Finally breaking apart from the kiss, the Latina stuck her head round the kitchen door to announce that breakfast was ready. In fairly short order, Dave joined them along with a sleepy but happy looking Lily and Sofia. Santana shuddered exaggeratedly and made a great show of ladling extra amounts of oatmeal into her parents' bowls.

"Gross! Could you two be any more obvious that you're recently reunited. I mean we're all glad but our parents having sex is just wrong!"

Sofia rolled her eyes at that and helped herself to several slices of wheat toast as well, Lily just smirked as she picked up her spoon.

"You can't have it both ways Santana, we're happy and happy relationships, especially marriage, means a healthy sex life."

Quinn successfully choked on her mouthful of mock eggs and bacon at that and Dave smirked at his unfortunate sister as Rachel poured her skating partner an orange juice and pressed it into her hands.

"Breathe Gretzky, breathe!"

Gratefully swallowing the juice down, the hockey player shot a glare to her sniggering parents and then smiled at the diva.

"Thanks Princess, while my family appear to be trying to kill me, it's good to know that at least _you _want to keep me around!"

Shrugging off-handedly, Rachel spoke in a blithe tone that made the statement itself all the more amusing.

"Where else am I going to find someone with a nice enough butt to keep my attention on the ice?"

Quinn's jaw dropped in shock at that and the rest of the table burst into laughter as the hockey player sputtered in disbelief. Rachel however reached out and squeezed her partner's hand with a very small wink. Shaking her head in mild disbelief, Quinn leant in close.

"Et tu Princess?"

Smiling shyly, Rachel squeezed the hockey player's calloused hand one more time before chuckling.

"It was just too good to resist! I'll make it up to you later."

They turned back to their breakfast and for the rest of the meal, the family made plans for the day. The football game was obviously a no brainer and they all would be watching it (with the exception of Santana and Brittany who would be the resident cooks). After dinner however, was up for general discussion and while both their moms tried valiantly to present the idea of Trivial Pursuit it was a no go. After much discussion, Quinn grinned and after finishing the last bite of pancake, she held up her hands and waited. Eventually, an expectant hush fell and the hockey player grinned.

"You know it's going to happen mom, ma. I know you hate it because let's face it we kick your ass every year but it's definitely time for the annual thanksgiving battle of the bands."

The two women at the head of the table groaned and Lily let her head fall onto Sofia's shoulder while the siblings all high fived. Rachel looked at Brittany who shook her head and shrugged.

"When it comes to this, I'm as in the dark as you are."

Dave cracked his knuckles and explained as Santana and Quinn started to clear the table.

"Quinn, as you know, is a video games nerd."

They all ignored how the hockey player called out that she was a geek and not a nerd.

"Anyway, there's a game called Rock Band and basically you get a couple of guitar controllers, a drum set and microphone and now a keyboard. There's a series of coloured notes that have to be hit on time and each player can play at a different difficulty level so it's fair. Speaking of which I _so _call lead guitar."

Santana, who heard him before Quinn did, yelled out that she was Bass, scowling slightly, Quinn then claimed the drums and they all turned to the diva who flushed slightly, then with a sigh admitted.

"Well, I did use to have a karaoke machine, so I guess I will take the microphone."

Brittany smiled good-naturedly and wrapped her arm around her returning girlfriend, tilting her head back to kiss the Latina's cheek she spoke.

"Then I suppose I will be your pianist or keyboardist, whatever you call it."

With the setup of the band worked out and the breakfast dishes taken care of by Quinn (who surprisingly did little complaining about it), they all headed through to the lounge. Although the game wasn't on just yet, there were several family films and another good natured argument broke out as they all sat down in the homely living room. Dave was on his mom's side as they voted for Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Sofia was alone in wanting to watch FEDS, Santana was all for Mad Max whilst Rachel and Brittany had both put their votes in for the very version of Phantom that had caused Quinn to create a minor disaster in the kitchen that one time. This left them in a deadlock between Indy and the Phantom and as they all looked to Rachel, she realised that with Quinn busy in the kitchen with the dishes they expected her to cast the blonde's vote.

"Oh, right well, I know she likes the Indy films but as I get to cast the vote and I really want to watch Phantom, I'm going to say that's what we go with."

There was general cheering from Brittany and Dave acquiesced gratefully to the decision. Santana grumbled but when she caught Rachel's eye, she tipped her a discreet wink to let her know she had chosen the right one. Rachel was on the verge of going into the kitchen to help the hockey player (despite being yelled at and pointedly reminded that she was a guest when she made the suggestion) when Quinn wandered out and joined them. The little diva patted the seat cushion next to her and the blonde sat down gratefully before allowing her hand to brush against her partner's. Smiling slightly, Rachel took the subtle hint and held the hockey player's hand. Soon enough the film started and the diva noticed the spark of excitement that showed in Quinn's eyes when she recognised what it was.

Soon enough, they were all deeply engrossed in the film and although Sofia was heard to occasionally mumble that it was okay but not as good as FEDS, Quinn was so deeply under the film's spell she heard none of it. Rachel watched from the corner of her eye as the hockey player unknowingly mouthed along with the lines. She also noticed that there was a definite passion behind the words when she was shadowing the Phantom's lines. It wasn't hard to see why exactly the blonde was so entranced by this film, the sets were amazingly detailed, the cast all superb and the vocal performances outstanding. By the time Masquerade came around, Rachel was as lost in the film as her skating partner and so neither of them noticed the nudging and smirking the others were engaged in when they noticed how both skaters were engrossed. Soon enough, the film was over and after blinking as though waking from a dream, Quinn and Rachel realised that more of Santana's cookies were out and set about demolishing them.

By mid afternoon, the smells coming from the kitchen were enough to make all of their stomachs growl. For the first time ever, Rachel found herself not only watching the football game but enjoying it. Quinn had taken it upon herself to explain the game properly with the aid of grapes. There was a brief scuffle when Rachel tried to _eat _the blonde's quarterback and the two of them ended up bickering like children until the brunette agreed to spit out the aforementioned quarterback. Dave and their parents just watched the two of them affectionately. They liked Rachel since they had first met her briefly while dropping Quinn's stuff at the house that one time. However, as they watched the little diva teasing Quinn with an immunity that had never been offered to anyone else in the blonde's life, not even her sister, they began to fall a little bit in love with her as well.

None of them knew what was going on in the kitchen as once Santana and Brittany had headed inside after the film finished, they had closed the door and posted a do not disturb sign that none of the others felt brave enough to breach. The various smells however, that wafted out prompted exclamations or to be more accurate, guesses about what was going to eventually end up on the dining table. They didn't have long to wait however, and after Quinn successfully cheered the Bears to a decisive victory over the Giants (despite Rachel's amused refusal to believe that her insistent cheering had anything to do with it), Santana poked her head round the door to announce that dinner would be ready in five minutes. There was an instantaneous exodus to the various bathrooms to clean up properly.

In the kitchen, Brittany looked at the veritable feast that had been prepared by the two of them. Or to be more accurate, had been prepared by Santana with suitable support from herself. She glanced over to where the Latina was placing the turkey on the battered silver platter before placing the sausages wrapped in bacon around the bottom of it. She was glad the Latina had finally gotten up the courage to ask her out because as much as she had admired her from afar, she had also been convinced that she wouldn't ever stand a chance with the beautiful, strong-willed woman. Ironically, they had both laughed when Santana revealed that part of her reticence stemmed from the very fact that she had thought the same thing about Brittany. Overwhelmed with affection for the hot-headed chef, Brit waited for her to place the turkey on the table and then slid her arms round her girlfriend's waist from behind. Pleasantly surprised by the embrace, Santana leant back into it and smiled at the feel of the tall blonde's lips on the back of her neck.

"What was that for?"

Feeling rather then seeing the shrug that Brittany gave, she heard her mutter.

"Just for being you, this dinner is amazing, you're amazing. I'm really glad you invited me this weekend, Thanksgiving doesn't seem the same since my parents moved back to Holland."

Turning within the circle of Brittany's arms, Santana placed a soft kiss to the soft lips in front of her and smiled back.

"Mom would have kicked my ass if I _hadn't_. Apparently I drove them all nuts talking about you so the least I could do now that we were dating was introduce you to them."

Laughing slightly, Brittany could easily imagine the Latina's adopted parents saying that.

"Well they do have a point, we are very much stuck together these days, which I have to say is perfectly fine with me."

Rolling her eyes good-naturedly, Santana stole another kiss and gave the table one last visual check before she sighed.

"I suppose we should let the ravenous beasts in though I'm reluctant to be honest as it's been great with just the two of us in here. Almost like it was our own place."

They both smiled as the idea of a little home of their own flashed into both their minds simultaneously. Heaving a sigh, Brittany nodded but as the Latina moved to open the door, she pulled her back and into a much more passionate embrace. It still took Santana by surprise how tactile Brittany was and she found herself sinking into yet another of the blonde's deep, intense and loving kisses. When they finally separated, Brit was absurdly pleased at the slight wobble in the Latina's step and at the raised eyebrow she shrugged.

"Something to tide you over until tonight."

At that point she heard Santana, "outta my face afore I cut you" Lopez moan slightly and have to take a moment to steady herself before she opened the door to the dining area. When she did both Quinn and Dave almost fell through it, rather than help them up, Santana just stepped over them and gestured the others towards the table. Rachel reached down and pulled her skating partner to her feet with an amused look. Flushing slightly, Quinn was quick to blame Dave and scurry towards her seat. When they got to the table, they realised that this year they had name cards and little gift boxes. The hockey player raised an eyebrow and looked towards her sister.

"Presents as well? Don't tell me that Brit has made you so soft that you're buying us gifts!"

Santana scowled and muttered something under her breath but Brittany was the one that cleared her throat and spoke shyly.

"I wanted to do something as a thank you for inviting me and for making me feel so welcome over the past few weeks."

Quinn had the good grace to blush at that and rubbed the back of her neck before mumbling an apology and a thank you all rolled into one. Santana smirked at her sister's discomfort as they all took their places. Rachel was next to Quinn on one side with Santana and Brittany on the other. Dave was at the head of the table with both their moms at the other end. Once they were seated, Lily cleared her throat and they all looked towards her expectantly.

"Okay, well first of all, it goes without saying that we all have Santana and now Brittany to thank for a wonderful meal as always. Also, I'd like to thank Rachel for accepting our invitation this weekend and I hope that we see more of her. Now, as we have two new people at the table this year, I'll explain what happens next. It's probably not that different to what you all do with your own families but as none of us are particularly religious, we take the time to go round the table and each of us says the one thing we are most thankful for this year. I guess as I'm the one that started speaking, I'll go first."

She paused, took a sip of the glass of water in front of her before smiling briefly at all of them and cleared her throat.

"I'm thankful for the new people in our lives this year. Brittany, you make Santana seem _almost _normal when she's with you."

As the gentle ribbing hit home, Brittany blushed and Santana blew a raspberry.

"Rachel, words fail me when it comes to the effect you have on Quinn, but I'm glad the two of you met and seem to be getting over your differences. Because amazingly you two seem good together. And although Sofia isn't new to my life this year, we are embarking on a new stage in our relationship and I'm thankful that she had the patience to hold on while I sorted myself out."

There was a murmur of general agreement and gentle laughter. Pausing to place a chaste kiss on her wife's cheek, Sofia set her own glass of water down and taking a deep breath, she looked around the table.

"I'm thankful that we have such a great family. We might not be conventional and yes we have our issues from time to time but if there's one thing we have proven over the years, it's that we're stronger together than we are apart. So I'm just happy that today we're all here and that fate brought us together."

Quinn couldn't help herself, it was just in her nature to crack a joke when a silence fell, even if it was a pleasant silence.

"Wow Ss that's two people who are thankful for you in one day, isn't that like some kind of record?"

Both their moms rolled their eyes and Santana smiled pleasantly while at the same time finding the hockey player's shin with unerring accuracy and a very pointed boot tip. Clearing her throat it was the Latina that went next.

"Needless to say, I'm thankful for Dave finally giving me the kick in the butt I needed to ask Brittany out, and of course for Brit agreeing to go out with me that first time. And I suppose if you push me I'm also happy we're all here, even Quinn."

She mumbled the last part but couldn't disguise the genuine affection she held for her sister and the two stubborn siblings exchanged a small smile. They turned as one to face a smiling Brittany who shrugged slightly.

"I'm just thankful to _all _of you. You guys are amazingly warm and welcoming and I think that Sofia and Lily, you have raised three pretty amazing kids, yes _even _Quinn."

More laughter ensued and the hockey player rolled her eyes and tried to look sulky, but the glint in her eye gave her away. Dave ruffled her overly long hair, ignoring the outraged squeak it elicited.

"I'm grateful that mom and ma are back together and willing to put up with all of us again. Also, that despite the fact we were all real busy with work this year, we all managed to make it back here for Thanksgiving."

He paused and grinned before saying.

"And yes, _even _Quinn."

The laughter this time was louder and groaning exaggeratedly, the blonde hockey player face-palmed. Rachel found herself idly straightening the flyaway scruffy blonde hair and sharing a grin with Quinn before flushing bright red and realising it was her turn. She cleared her throat and felt slightly flustered until Quinn took her hand under the table and squeezed it reassuringly.

"Well, first of all thank you for inviting me into your home and your family this weekend, and of course for the wonderful cooking that will forever ruin me for anyone else's."

She paused politely while Santana blew on her nails and polished them smugly on the front of her shirt. The others laughed and Quinn rolled her eyes before muttering that Rachel was only making the Latina's case of swelled head even worse. Once it died down, Rachel spoke again though this time she kept her gaze locked with the hazel ones next to her.

"However, the one thing I'm so thankful for, I'm not sure there are words available to express it, is Quinn. I know it was a fluke that sent you to my ice rink that day, and that we hardly had the most cordial of introductions, but you are without a doubt the best thing that has ever happened to me, Quinn Fabray. I know you doubt yourself more than you ever let on, especially your self worth but you shouldn't. In all my years of figure skating, I have never had a partner who was more dedicated, more passionate or more graceful than you. So I suppose that I'm saying when it comes to Thanksgiving, I'm thankful for being here, and going against everyone else, I'm _especially _thankful for Quinn."

The others fell silent but that went unnoticed by the two skaters who only had eyes for each other, without waiting, Quinn cleared her throat and started her turn.

"I, _well_, I don't know how to follow that up except to say that before I met you my life was kind of empty. And not because of a lack of trying, I have the most wonderful, loving and unusual family in the world and I'm so grateful for that. But as much as they filled in the empty parts inside of my soul, there was still this one part that, to be honest, I guess I didn't know I had. But then I met the most exasperating, antagonistic, beautiful and amazing person in the freaking galaxy. And that empty part didn't feel so bad anymore, you make me feel stuff that until now I didn't even believe in and I just, well yeah, I guess I just mean that I'm thankful for you too."

She trailed off awkwardly when she realised she was dangerously close to revealing her true feelings for the brunette and while Rachel was still with Finn she just couldn't. It wouldn't be fair for either of them and the last thing she wanted to do was cause the little diva any pain or confusion. Worried she had said too much, she found herself fiddling with the place card Brittany had made, until she felt those small and deceptively strong hands take both of hers. Looking up, she saw Rachel was smiling shyly at her, and despite her nerves she returned it with a rare, genuinely pleased one. They didn't say anything but they didn't need to and the moment lasted until Santana cleared her throat and then said in a surprisingly hoarse voice.

"Enough of the soppy sentimental crap, let's eat before all my hours of toil go to waste."

It was enough to break through the heavy yet pleasant atmosphere and in an instant the quiet and sophisticated table of guests gave way to a bunch of rowdy but jovial adults all vying for the best bits of food. On top of the turkey, Santana had whipped up a Quorn based dish to replace the main meal for Rachel. Again and unsurprisingly so, it was _so _good that Rachel began to dread going home and back to bland food. Throughout the very long, very pleasant and very filling meal, the two figure skaters constantly found an excuse to hold each other's hands or touch in some way. Nothing overt, just the occasional brushing of hair out of eyes or passing condiments and dishes to each other, just any excuse to initiate contact. It did not go unnoticed by the rest of the diners and there were several winks, nudges and smiles between them when the skaters weren't looking.

Once dinner was over, Rachel was shouted down yet again when she tried to offer to help with the dishes as was Brittany, and the two found themselves ushered into the living room along with Lily and Sofia. Santana went to safely store the leftovers and Dave and Quinn disappeared into the kitchen to take care of the mammoth pile of dishes. After checking that the hockey player was suitably distracted with the cleaning up, Sofia grinned and got out the family photo albums. Admittedly, they were only taken from when the kids had come to live with them, but there were still plenty of shots that were suitable for blackmail material. Especially the ones that showed off Quinn's hitherto hidden gifts when it came to science and in particular science fairs. She also found out that although the blonde wore contact lenses now, she had worn glasses for most of her time in school, at least until she discovered her aptitude for sport.

It suddenly occurred to her that at some point Dave had joined them in the living room, but when she looked around she couldn't see any sign of Quinn, frowning, she turned to the big guy.

"Dave, where's Quinn? Has she not finished yet?"

He rubbed the back of his head and belatedly looked around, seeming as surprised as she was at the hockey player's absence.

"No, she finished before me actually, because she was cleaning and I was drying and putting the plates away."

Standing, Rachel felt her spine readjust and she let out a small sigh of relief. As fun as it was to go through Quinn's school photos, sitting on the floor was not actually that comfortable after an hour or so! She glanced at Santana who motioned towards the back yard with her chin and after a moment Rachel recalled the conversation about the den. Excusing herself, she stopped in the bedroom to grab her coat and then made her way out into the well kept and large back garden. She made her way to the old tree at the very back of the garden and with some trepidation began to climb the old ladder up towards the tree house. When she peeked over the top, she saw Quinn lying amongst the cushions and blankets that littered the floor. Scrambling over the top of the ladder with only a little grunt, she wordlessly lay down next to the hockey player who had yet to speak. As she looked up, she let out a surprised breath, when it had been built, a section of the roof had been cut away and replaced with glass and at that moment, the sky was bright with stars, so much so they didn't really need the light from the lantern in the corner.

"Wow, this is amazing."

At the diva's whispered comment, Quinn finally smiled faintly and nodded before letting out a small sigh.

"Yeah it kinda brings some things into perspective. What are you doing out here? It's freezing tonight."

Huffing slightly, the diva scrambled around until she found the chilled hand of her partner. Taking it into her own, she tutted at the cold flesh and covered it completely with her own before she replied.

"I was worried about you! As you so astutely pointed out it's freezing! And to be honest looking at your embarrassing school pictures isn't _nearly _as amusing without you there, blushing and scratching your nose the way you do when you feel awkward."

Groaning faintly, Quinn tried to laugh but it came out slightly strangled and the diva turned her head to peer at the blonde more closely. After a second, she noticed the watery eyes and reflexive swallowing and so she spoke softly.

"What's up Gretzky? Talk to me please?"

Taking a moment to blow out a shaky breath, Quinn finally spoke.

"I'm just looking back at all my mistakes, wondering if I'll ever be able to make up for them. If I'll ever manage to be the person I need to be to be worthy of anyone."

She trailed off but they both knew exactly whom Quinn was talking about. Despite Rachel's resolve to not make any sort of move until she knew what she wanted for certain, she also couldn't stand to hear the pain and uncertainty in her partner's voice. So she swallowed and thought carefully before speaking.

"I _think_, as I said before, that anyone would be lucky to find someone like you. The past is the past Quinn, and while it can't be changed it can be learnt from. When you know who it is you want, then if they are worth it, they will realise that you are too."

Squeezing the diva's hand for a long moment, Quinn closed her eyes and did something that two months ago she couldn't _ever _have envisioned herself having the courage to do. She put her heart on her sleeve and hoped for the best.

"What if I have found the person I want? The person who already has me in a way no one else ever had. And she _is _good enough, it's me I'm worried about. I've done so much that I'm ashamed of."

Rachel cut her off by reaching over and placing her hand over the blonde's lips gently. Once she was sure she had Quinn's attention, she retracted her hand and spoke again.

"Remember what I said Quinn, the right person will not care about any of that, tell me something, is this person worth waiting for?"

Quinn drew in a deep breath and after letting it out, turned her head to regard the diva. Her eyes were open and honest to the extent it took the blonde's breath away.

"Yes, for as long as it takes, I would wait for her."

After saying it, she forced herself to tear her gaze away from the brunette's and back up to the suddenly less daunting view of the universe above her. There was a moment's silence then Rachel spoke again and when she did Quinn felt such a combination of elation and relief that she wanted to cry and laugh at the same time.

"Then wait for her, wait for me Quinn."

Letting out a small sob of pure emotion, the blonde raised her free hand and covered her mouth for a moment before nodding silently. When she had her voice under control, she squeezed the hand in hers and spoke hoarsely.

"Always."

Unable to resist herself, the little diva rolled her head to the side again, and craning across enough to reach Quinn's cheek, she placed a soft and lingering kiss before whispering.

"Thank you."

She rolled over onto her back again and together the two of them moved closer, after a moment, Rachel smiled softly and although they had done nothing but talk to each other, she felt a lot better. Judging from the now relaxed form of the hockey player next to her, so did Quinn.

"Do you actually know the names of any of the constellations?"

Quinn smiled slightly, she had no idea and she suspected that Rachel was well aware of that. However it was an open invitation to lighten the mood and so she gratefully accepted it.

"Of _course _I do, um, that one up there for instance is called the uh, Skittle Constellation."

Smirking slightly, the brunette followed the line of Quinn's pointing finger and nodded slightly before commenting.

"Ah yes, the famous Skittle Constellation! And would you perhaps also know where the equally as notorious Snickers Belt is?"

Her grin growing wider, the hockey player nodded confidently and pointed out a group of stars to the west of them. Amidst giggling, she then proceeded to point out where the Milky Way, Nutrageous and Starburst clusters were. It wasn't the romantic outpouring that perhaps anyone else would understand but to Quinn that simple kiss on the cheek had made her feel more wanted and loved than any other she had ever had. So she would do what she said and wait, because yes Rachel was worth it and maybe she was too.

_Okay I am ducking in preparation for the shoes, mugs and whatever else you are preparing to hurl at me for the cop out when it comes to the kiss. In my defence I never specified what the kiss would be and they did have one kinda? Well if I didn't completely piss you off let me explain! They now know what they want but as one reviewer so astutely pointed out, this Rachel is very moralistic and the idea of cheating just didn't sit well with the character as she is portrayed here, hence their commitment to wait. But on the plus side they will now get there and when they do it will be guilt free and annoyingly tooth achingly sweet! Now I shall return to working on the next part of RBR as well as a couple of others things. If I haven't already said it you guys do totally rock the Kasbah! Xxx Also massive thanks to my amazing and very patient (sorry!) beta tiggerbounced! The mistakes are still mine however lol_


	10. Chapter 10

_And here's the other update, once again brought to you courtesy of my insomnia and tiggerbounced and her awesome editing skills! I hope you aren't too disappointed with it as they are only just finalising their choice of music and costumes for their first competition. However the next chapter will be their first event, and you will see a very different side to them both, one I hope you will enjoy reading as much as I'm enjoying writing it! And of course with Finn gone they have the green light for romance lol. Enjoy and as always you're all the ones keeping me and this story going so clap yourselves on the back and feel free to tell me what you like, don't like or would maybe like to see! xxx_

Eventually when the cold became too much for the two skaters, they moved from the tree house and headed back inside. Santana and Dave both noticed that when they came back in, their hands were tightly linked together and they shared a secret smile before turning back to where they were setting the instruments up. The rest of the evening was given over to fierce yet hysterical competition. All of them could hold a tune but not one of them could match the scores that Rachel, and surprisingly Sofia, managed to rack up when they had hold of the microphone. Lily could manage a mean bass guitar but lost a drumstick in ten seconds flat when she tried that instrument. Dave refused to give up lead guitar for the entire evening but agreed to share with Santana after she head-locked him in a full Nelson for ten minutes.

That night when they lay in Quinn's bed together, the blonde didn't hesitate to offer an embrace to the diva, Rachel looked slightly nervous at first but with a soft smile, Quinn reassured her that it was entirely innocent;, she just liked holding her. Relaxing, the brunette finally settled into the arms of her skating partner and closed her eyes. They both slept soundly that night and when they woke in the morning it was without a trace of their previous nervousness. Rachel knew how Quinn felt about her and in turn the hockey player knew that Rachel needed time. So she didn't push her for anything, she kept things light and funny. The only time she made a concession to the hope that she held within her heart was the night. She truly did sleep better knowing she was there to support and protect the diva. And although she would never willingly admit to it…the reverse of that was also true.

Lily and Sofia had crammed Tupperware containers with various leftovers as well as complete pies and a sealed box full of dinners that were just ready for Quinn to microwave. The blonde raised a dubious eyebrow as she inspected the boxes. Although the meals looked perfectly edible, she had to check. Clearing her throat as Rachel made sure to pack the boot with the tasty treats Santana kept handing her, Quinn eyed her mom's.

"Um no offence meant or anything but ah…did you guys cook these or Santana?"

Lily stifled a laugh and tried to look stern while Sophia shuffled from foot to foot slightly and tucked her hands into the back pockets of her jeans.

"Look…I can cook and, so can your mom, it's just that now our skills are a bit rusty."

From her position next to Rachel, who was trying to sneak a slice of pecan pie from one of the containers, Santana snorted.

"Rusty? Is that what you call it? Quinn at least has an excuse for being culinary deficient but you two…you are meant to be able to look after yourselves but what happens the one night I don't cook?"

She glared at her mom's with her hands on her hips and watched as Sophia toed the ground with the tip of her cowboy boot and grumbled something under her breath. Lily laughed and then bit her lip at Santana's glare before sighing and rolling her eyes.

"Okay we might have blown up your food mixer, but it was an accident and to be fair the instructions were all in French."

Sophia nodded in support of that statement but they both had to look away to hide their amusement as the Latina just scowled.

"That's because it was French! And it wasn't just a food mixer. It was THE food mixer of all food mixers! So no they didn't cook those meals Quinn, I did, they are perfectly safe for you to eat. There are also a few vegan ones in there so if you have Rachel over for dinner you can at least offer her something edible."

Suddenly, the laughter that had been leaking from the blonde at her parents' squirming under her sister's gaze trailed off and she flushed bright red. Scratching her nose she swallowed and tried to formulate a reply but to her immense relief the diva herself stepped in and saved her ass.

"Thank you! Now I don't have to dread the artistic discussion. I was going to suggest that we have that over dinner to limit the outcries."

Quinn smiled slightly even as she rolled her eyes at the skater.

"What makes you think I'd freak out?. I know I don't look civilised but I am capable of it from time to time. Besides ice skating has to be all posh and stuff right?"

Opening her mouth to reply to that, Rachel paused and scratched her chin as she wondered how best to rebuff that statement.

"Well, I mean yes it used to be but in recent years the sport of ice dancing or figure skating has in fact encouraged new sounds. Not anything too radical but some very current pop songs have been used, movie soundtracks and even musical theatre have all been used."

The hockey player relaxed slightly and found herself nodding.

"Oh well that might not be too bad then. I mean I'm cool with the skating and all that but I don't want to make it too wussy."

Rachel raised a confused eyebrow as she loaded in the last of the Tupperware containers. She didn't fail to see the highly amused expression on the Latina's face and tried to ignore it. She knew the creative side of their dance would be a touchy subject.

"Quinn I have no idea what music you might consider to be too wussy? I mean some extremely violent films have used fantastic scores that have provided the backdrop to some award- winning routines. Gladiator for instance, certainly wasn't wussy."

Quinn snorted as she placed their bags in the backseat. Both of them had forgotten that they had an audience while they bickered good-naturedly.

"No the film wasn't, I mean, it was drastically historically inaccurate which pissed me off but the fighting was okay. However trying to do a routine in a toga or a centurion's skirt…so falls into the wussy category."

Propping her hands on her hips as she watched Quinn load the bags in, Rachel rolled her eyes and sighed loudly…pointedly in fact.

"Actually it has been done and it was not wussy! There aren't many movies with soundtracks we could dance to anyway. Of course we could do Titanic, the score to that was almost as well received as the film."

Quinn's jaw dropped in disbelief and she shook her head fiercely.

"No freaking way is Quinn Fabray dressing up as Jack and skating on the ice to that music. Plus it's kinda inappropriate to do a dance routine from Titanic on ice…don't you think?"

Rachel frowned then took in the twinkle in the hockey player's eyes as she realised what she was getting at. Clapping one hand over her mouth to try and stifle her own giggles, she used her other to swat the hockey player's arm. Hamming it up, Quinn winced and clasped the supposedly wounded arm with her free hand as she pouted.

"Whoa there Princess, don't be harming the tools I need to make us look good."

Raising a dark eyebrow, Rachel leant on the Hummer's side and closer to Quinn as she spoke quietly.

"_You _make us look good?"

At that, Quinn rolled her eyes and with a semi-shrug grudgingly admitted.

"Okay…I admit it we _both _look good, but I do the lifts so I totally need my arms!"

They giggled at each other until Santana cleared her throat. Eyes widening, the skaters turned and regarded the amused faces of Quinn's family as they tried to hold in their laughter. Clearing her throat, the blonde scratched her nose and tried to muster up a suitably intimidating glare, which ended in an epic fail when the Latina laughed loudly.

"Nice try Q, but you just look embarrassed. Now before you get involved in another discussion of what exactly wussy entails, maybe we should say goodbye huh?"

Growling slightly, the hockey player nonetheless pulled her sister into a tight and fierce but brief embrace. Things were always intense between the two sisters and their goodbyes were no exception to the rule, no words were exchanged but they also weren't needed. Dave was nowhere near as restrained however and picked Quinn up in one of his bone-crushing bear hugs, making her giggle before he set her down. Now he had thoroughly ruined whatever street-cred she had left in front of Rachel, she rolled her eyes and moved toward her mom's. Smiling softly, she hugged her ma and even acquiesced to the hair mussing and kiss on the cheek despite the embarrassment factor. Lily pulled her down and into a tight hug, after pressing a light kiss to the blonde's forehead she locked eyes with her and smiled softly.

"Be safe Quinn…and look after yourself as well as you look after her. She's a keeper honey."

Glancing over her shoulder to where Rachel was being spun round by Dave and laughing even as she begged to be let down. She felt a smile creep across her face and turned back to her mom with another one of her rare and genuinely happy smiles.

"I know I will mom, I promise and I'll see you soon."

She turned and waited for the diva to finish up with her own goodbyes. After Dave finally relinquished his hold on her, she staggered slightly and almost ended up in Lily's lap if not for the lightning fast reactions of Sophia. Trying not to blush too brightly, she cleared her throat and then found herself sandwiched between the two women as they caught her in a two- way hug. Closing her eyes happily, Rachel felt the warm glow of acceptance in her belly. She still hated that she had missed Thanksgiving with her fathers but she couldn't deny all the good that had come from spending it with Quinn's family. Pulling away from the two older women, she thanked them again and said goodbye before hugging Brittany and doing the same. Santana smiled at her with a gentleness that the rest of the family didn't see very often, as she hugged the diva, she muttered low so only the brunette would hear her.

"Look after my sister Berry…and make sure that she eats real food every now and again okay?"

Returning the smile, Rachel nodded firmly once and stepping back she glanced at Quinn who was waiting patiently with a soft smile on her face. She turned back to the Latina and letting out a small breath, spoke quietly.

"With my heart and soul."

That was all Santana had been waiting to hear and she nodded with a certain finality that sat just right with both of them. With one last wink, Rachel turned from the family and trudged towards the passenger side of the Humvee where Quinn was waiting to help her up into the large car. Once she was safely inside, Quinn shut the door and as she made her way round to the driver's side via the boot (just to check it was closed properly) she paused to mouth a heartfelt thank you to her family. After one last wave from them, she trudged round and hauled herself into the cab. Once they were out of the small town and back on the freeway's, conversation turned from the past weekend to the subject of performance music again.

"Rach, I'm not refusing to do any movie music, I just want to do something that isn't all…"

Rolling her eyes, the brunette finished the sentence along with the hockey player.

"Wussy."

Flipping through the radio channels, Rachel tried to find a piece of music or a song that could better illustrate what she was talking about.

"I'm not saying you have to, but it does have to be something emotive…or at least something that we can put a bloody good dance routine to. One that will reach out and touch people. I know how good you are but the judges have never seen you skate before Quinn, they will consider you a beginner despite the level of competition we are at. When we get out on that ice, I want you to render them speechless the way you did to me the other day."

Quinn glanced at Rachel and tried to mask the adoration on her face. Yes they had reached an understanding but it was still too soon to blind the diva with how much she was holding in. taking a deep breath, she settled for a smile and nod.

"Okay…and I know that when it comes to this, you're the expert. I trust you not to embarrass me and I'll do my best to make you proud Princess."

Rachel's hands paused on the dials and she half smiled and enjoyed the moment's warmth that spread across her chest. She had hated that nickname to begin with, now she had to admit she was growing to love it.

"I have no doubt that you will make everyone who knows you proud Gretzky. For a meat head puck shuffler, you're actually extremely agile."

Giving up fiddling with the radio, the diva sat back in her seat and Quinn grinned.

"I'm not sure if that is actually a compliment or not so I think I'll just take it as one! And hey it's not like you to give up on something so soon, there must be at least one song you can find."

Rachel drummed her fingers on her knees as she chewed her lip thoughtfully, after a moment she turned in her seat so she was facing the hockey player who glanced over at her curiously.

"What about something from Phantom? The movie version we watched the other day was amazing, and the musical numbers; some of the best ones I have seen performed. Plus dressing up as a masked and passionate killer isn't too wussy."

Quinn shook her head with a smile but the more she thought about it, the more she figured she could pull that off without feeling or acting too much like a complete idiot.

"Well I guess the whole tux thing could work on the ice if it was loose enough, I couldn't wear the mask though it would be far too constricting to perform in."

Rachel nodded thoughtfully; impressed that the hockey player had immediately known what the issues would be when it came to the costume. The mask would be a problem, in the performances she had observed before, they had simply omitted the mask. However there could be a way to do it…

"Well obviously a real mask would be out of the question but we could definitely improvise. Make up would work; we could simply paint the mask onto your face, that would give the right appearance and not compromise your ability to do the routine."

She smiled happy with the solution and turned to see Quinn. The blonde was slack jawed and looked horrified. Lifting an eyebrow in question, Rachel waited until the disbelieving squawk that was coming out of the hockey player's mouth actually started to make sense.

"Make up? You want to cover me in make up! Princess I don't even wear cover up, I value my skin way too much for that crap. I can't believe I might have to wear make up…that is so not cool!"

Trying unsuccessfully to smother the giggles, Rachel found herself having to lean back against the seat until she got her breath back. After taking a calming breath, she pointed out reasonably.

"Unfortunately, make up is just part of the spectacle that goes towards creating an award- winning ice dance routine Gretzky. If it's any consolation, yours will tend to be minimal as you will be essentially playing the male role of the partnership."

Settling down, Quinn still grumbled to herself about what would happen if someone tried to turn her into some sad clown hooker. Biting her lip and shaking her head in amusement, Rachel waited for the hockey player to subside before carrying on.

"I was thinking if we did do Phantom then we should go for just one song rather than the ever popular medley that most couples go for. Perhaps Point of no Return, it's a very emotive song and I noticed how much you enjoyed that particular song when we were watching the movie the other night."

Internally, Quinn grinned in elation that the diva had taken the time to notice that, it was indeed her favourite number from the film. The point where the Phantom thought he would finally get the one thing he had craved for so long, someone to love him. And for a while, she had liked to think that Christine had wanted that too. Raising an eyebrow, the hockey player scratched her nose and tried to appear casual.

"I guess that yes, it would be the best song out of the ones on the soundtrack to perform. It's not too long and it is very emotive…a good mix of fast pace and slow sweeping notes…yeah it's definitely one we have to add to the list."

Rachel chuckled slightly and when Quinn raised one of those eyebrows, she found herself fighting off the usual shiver of excitement. After a moment, she realised it was a questioning one and she allowed her smile to grow before she said.

"I'm just glad we have got as far as a list already. I thought for sure we would still be bickering over this. Although at least with the tux costume, it won't be so obvious that you're wearing Lycra."

She looked over in concern as the blonde appeared to begin choking on thin air. The diva scooted closer and made sure to pat the hockey player's back until she could breathe again. After she wiped her eyes on the back of her hand, Quinn emitted that funny high pitched sound again that took Rachel a few seconds to decipher.

"We're wearing _Lycra_?"

Frowning slightly, Rachel just nodded as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Well of course we are, it's the perfect material for the movements we have to make on the ice. Plus it works in any colour and can be adapted for any costume…why?"

The blonde sputtered several times before she actually managed to calm herself down long enough to articulate the precise level of her discomfort.

"What do you mean why? It's Lycra Rachel! That means it's tight, and things will be…on display! Like…well like things I don't particularly want on display! Especially if I'm meant to be playing the male role!"

It struck Rachel all of a sudden and she was caught between laughter and a surge of affection for the hockey player that was so strong she was almost breathless from it. After a few moments, she managed to speak with a straight face.

"Quinn um…don't take this the wrong way but are you…shy about this?"

Not taking her eyes from the road for even a moment, Quinn fidgeted in her seat and eventually sighed slightly.

"I know it's kind of difficult to believe that anyone with my previously um…busy social life would even _recognise _embarrassment in a situation like that but the truth is…I'm normally so goddamn drunk that I can't stand let alone think. I just don't want to make us stand out anymore than we're already gonna, you said yourself how bad this is likely to be."

Rachel's heart melted just a bit more and a distant part of her brain decided that one of the very first things she was going to do was have that talk with her fathers and with Finn. Shaking herself mentally, she concentrated on the matter at hand and reaching out, she laid her hand over one of the calloused ones currently gripping the steering wheel.

"Quinn…it won't matter how we look because the one thing I know for sure is that when we get on the ice, we are going to blow away every other act out of there. You and I are going to be the ones to set the standard from now on…and I wasn't lying before when I said you had a nice butt. If anything, everyone else will be jealous that it's me that gets to skate with you."

Allowing a small smile to leak out, the blonde felt herself blush and glancing across to take in the serious yet smiling face of her Princess, she blew out a breath and admitted quietly.

"Well I guess so long as it doesn't actually _look _like Lycra…then I don't mind too much. And I guess my butt is okay enough to get a little fame of it's own."

Chuckling at the last comment, the diva reached across and lightly slugged her skating partner's shoulder.

"Now _there's _the Gretzky attitude I know and put up with! Now all you have to do is keep thinking about songs or music that mean you get to wear outfits that don't reveal they are made of Lycra."

Snorting slightly, Quinn reached out to dig out a sleeve of CD's that she tossed towards the diva.

"Believe me Princess, if I have to suffer the indignity of Lycra then I will do my best to make sure I at least look vaguely kick ass in it!"

The diva erupted into giggles as she shuffled through the discs and popped in one of famous theme tunes. As they sat back, the long journey home was spent in the kind of companionable silence that the hockey player had only previously dreamt of. Hours later, they were sore from laughing as the suggestions had gone from improbable to outright ridiculous. The pinnacle being Rachel's suggestion of the Mad Hatter and Alice in Wonderland to the Disney soundtrack. They were both slightly disappointed to realise they had made it home and as Quinn pulled up outside the front door of the main house, she inclined her head towards the two Mercedes parked in the driveway and the smoke coming from the chimney of the main sitting room.

"Looks like your fathers are home, Princess. Go see them, you missed them this weekend. I'll bring your bags in then head off to my place for a bath and an early night…and maybe some more of that pumpkin pie. I mean seriously did she bake crack or something into it? All the drive home, I kept thinking of pulling over to eat another chunk of it!"

Laughing softly, Rachel agreed with a heartfelt nod. They were quiet for a moment before they glanced back at the house. Quinn was the first to move and as she helped Rachel down from the passenger side, they stood and stared at each other for a long moment. Eventually Quinn moved away and smiled as she hauled Rachel's bag out of the backseat and walked with her to the door, once it was open, the blonde set the bag down and raised a hand to forestall the farewell. Jogging to the boot of the car, she fished out one of the containers and came back with a smile.

"Pumpkin pie, figured you could share some with your dad's and have like a miniature Thanksgiving evening or something."

She trailed off with a half shrug and tucked her hands in her back pockets to avoid reaching out to embrace the diva. Rachel smiled happily at the hockey player and reaching out, she hooked a hand round the back of the blonde's neck and pressed a soft kiss to the chilled cheek. When she stepped back Quinn was grinning dopily at her and walked slowly backwards to the car so she could unload her stuff from it before parking it in the Berry's garage.

"I'm glad my family didn't scare you off Berry. Last one on the ice tomorrow morning buys coffee's!"

The brunette diva grinned, and leaning on the doorframe, she called out after the departing hockey player.

"Mine is a soy milk latte with chocolate shavings!"

Grinning, Quinn leant out of the window as she backed the Humvee up and before she headed back down to the guest chalets that she and coach Schue lived in.

"And mine is a vanilla latte with cinnamon sprinkles!"

They shared a laugh and Rachel watched Quinn head down towards her house. Once she was sure the hockey player was safely inside, she smiled happily to herself and taking the container of Santana's amazingly good vegan pumpkin pie, she headed toward the main sitting room where she could hear voices and laughter already. As soon as she pushed the door open, she was almost bowled over as Leroy grinned and leapt up from his chair to enfold her in a very enthusiastic hug. Vaguely she wondered what would happen if Dave and her daddy ever tried to hug each other…talk about immovable object meeting irresistible force! Eventually he made way for Hiram, who hugged her just as closely but with a bit more restraint than his exuberant husband.

"I'm so sorry we had to miss Thanksgiving baby girl, damn Europeans have no sense of respect. You weren't too lonely were you?"

Trying her best not to grin like a lunatic or blush too much, the diva shook her head and proffered the Tupperware in her hand as she explained.

"Actually no, I spent the weekend with Quinn and her family. I missed you of course but they are such nice people and we had such an amazing time. Quinn is entirely different with them you know? Oh and she sent you some of her sister's pumpkin pie which is totally vegan friendly and _so _tasty it will ruin you for anything else."

Leroy saw this as a challenge and as he took the square plastic container in his hands he regarded it carefully.

"Well, never let it be said that I back down from a test! Let's pour more coffee and see just how good this pie is shall we."

Rachel just grinned as she already knew what the outcome was. They all sank into the plump leather sofa that was large enough for all of them. While Hiram served up pieces of the pie onto the plates he'd just fetched, Leroy refreshed his and Hiram's coffee's and poured one for Rachel. After a second where each of them picked up a fork, Rachel rolled her eyes and dug into hers with a moan of bliss. Leroy and Hiram clashed their forks together like they were touching swords and then very carefully cut off a piece with the edge of the fork and took a mouthful. The diva just enjoyed the piece she was swiftly devouring and waited…but not for long. Hiram let out a contented sigh and Leroy took another mouthful before speaking.

"So this sister, does she want a job cooking for us…and if not would she consider marrying two gay guys?"

Rachel tried not to choke on her last mouthful and took several sips of coffee as she glared at her grinning fathers. When she could speak again, she smirked.

"I think her girlfriend might have something to say about that proposal daddy. And Brittany is very tall and bendy, she would _so _kick your ass."

It was Leroy's turn to choke on a mouthful of pumpkin pie and Rachel just grinned un repentantly at him. Once the pie was eaten (all of it seeing that one slice _just _wasn't enough) and the coffee drunk, Rachel snuggled up against her daddy and glanced between him and her dad for a long moment.

"Can I talk to you both about something?"

Hiram raised an eyebrow in concern as Leroy started running his hands over his daughter's hair, something he had always done when he sensed she was upset or confused as it seemed to relax her.

"Of course you can baby girl, anytime and about anything. You know that and always have before, so what's causing this hmm?"

Taking a deep breath, Rachel started to talk and admit what it was that was weighing her down.

"I just…have realised a few things about myself recently. I don't know when things started to change, or maybe I do, maybe they were always like this. But the thing is, when you allowed Finn to visit me the other weekend unexpectedly…well something almost happened. But not between me and him."

She paused for a moment and as she was busy staring at her fingers and twisting round the diamond engagement ring from Finn, she missed the look that passed between her fathers. It was almost one of relief mixed with just a hint of worry. They waited patiently for her to carry on however and after a deep breath she did just that.

"Quinn and I…it wasn't planned but we almost kissed. And then, then things got weird between us and argumentative like it was in the beginning! But what really struck me about the whole situation was that I didn't once think about Finn…I tried to, I really did but there's no passion there. I mean he's nice and I think we'll always be friends, or at least I hope so. But with Quinn I feel…I feel the way that all the books and songs and movies tell us we should when love hits."

She stopped and sighed;, she was getting frustrated as she was trying to explain how her feelings had changed.

"It's not _totally _new, I mean ever since I met Gretzky, we have had some sort of…connection that bound us more tightly than anything else. I know that even if things don't work with out us…though honestly I believe in my heart that we are _meant _to be together…it's obvious that any relationship with Finn outside of friendship is a mistake. He deserves to find someone who will love him properly…and so do I."

She waited for a moment then glanced up between her fathers. She had expected concern and it was there…but not in the severity she had anticipated. Hiram smiled and reaching out, clasped her hand lightly before lowering his glasses and talking softly.

"Oh baby in a way we are so relieved, because as much as we like Finn, we knew he wasn't right for you. When you looked at him it was, well it was like you said…as though you were childhood friends rather than engaged to be married. But are you sure about getting involved with your skating partner? I mean after that mess with St James…"

He trailed off, not needing to elaborate and remembering the headlines and gossip rag snapshots, Rachel winced. However, that was entirely different, it was all about that rat bastard making her think she was special but neglecting to mention the other three or four women he also thought were just as special. It had been her biggest mistake so far.

"This isn't like that Dad…Quinn and I, well we started out explosively as you know and quite frankly, we're lucky we didn't hurt each other. But now, all I know is that I feel so safe with her, loved and protected. And she is totally different with me as well. I know that you are probably as aware of her reputation and past record as I am, but that isn't who she is. It's not my story to tell, even if it would convince you to let me see her, I won't tell it. But when we're together, she's just herself, a self she is still discovering. We aren't going to jump into anything;, it isn't like that for either of us. The one thing I will tell you is that _she _is as taken aback and thrown off by this as I am."

Leroy nodded faintly and she looked up at him. After a moment, he smiled faintly and glancing momentarily at his husband, spoke carefully.

"I confess I have concerns just as your father does. But not the ones you think, yes I am aware of Quinn's previous behaviour, we both are. But I believe that it wasn't her, every so often the side of herself that she tries to hide shows through. So the concern is not over that, I trust you Rachel and if it is what you both want, then you have our blessing."

Looking over to her dad in disbelief, she almost cried when she saw him smile softly and nod as well. She turned back towards Leroy when he carried on speaking.

"Our concern is how the two of you will handle things on the circuit. You know better than anyone what a vicious bunch of bitches and queens they can be. And for all her worldliness, Quinn also has an innocence about her, one I think you are only too well aware of."

He didn't require an answer but Rachel found herself nodding slightly anyways and after a moment she replied.

"I know what you mean and I'm planning to talk to Quinn in more detail about it. I'll make sure she's prepared for this. She means the world to me and I will do my best to make sure that she doesn't get hurt by it, it's the last thing I want because you're right. She has been through a lot, I know more of it than most but still not all and even so I'm impressed that she's the person she is."

Leroy smiled proudly; Rachel was displaying extremely mature behaviour about this. Not to mention the protective streak in her when she spoke about the hockey player was heartfelt. He glanced across at Hiram who also smiled slightly and the unspoken conversation between them ended when they both silently agreed to support Rachel…and have a quiet little chat with Quinn when the situation presented itself. Hiram cleared his throat and as Rachel sat up, he spoke.

"Rachel you're an adult and we actually like Quinn so you're okay there. We trust you to do things the right way; we know that you will stay true to your ideals. Just take the time to make sure that neither of you get hurt. I want you to feel the sort of love that I felt when I met your father and although it's early days yet, it seems to me that you and Quinn have that. We do however reserve the right to have 'the talk' with her if things progress the way you both want."

Groaning slightly, Rachel rolled her eyes and felt a pang of sympathy for the hockey player. Quinn had herself confessed that she had never gotten to the stage in her associations with women where she had had to meet the parents. Now she was living only a few hundred yards from them and would have to endure the talk…still, she had survived a similar situation with Santana, and as far as she could see the Latina was _far _scarier than her fathers! Smiling, she smothered a yawn and doing the quick mental math sighed as she stood up.

"Right I'm going to get ready for bed and then I suppose I should call Finn."

She saw their eyebrows rise in surprise and with a sad smile shrugged as she explained.

"I know it may seem fast to you but it's like I said earlier. Even if things aren't going to work out with Quinn, I now know that I don't love Finn, not in that way anyway. The sooner I get this done the sooner we can both get on with finding our true soul mates."

Even as she spoke, her eyes drifted towards the window and down the drive towards the faraway lights of the hockey player's chalet. She knew without a doubt who her soul mate was now, she just had to hope the two of them could work this out without blowing it! After kissing her fathers goodnight, she headed up to her bedroom and after a quick shower, she settled down into bed and took several calming breaths. Once she felt herself settle down enough to do so she rang Finn's number. It was mid afternoon there so as usual he would be eating his burger at his desk and watching ESPN on his laptop. After a few rings, his familiar slightly distracted voice came on the line.

"Finn Hudson, how can I help?"

Rachel bit her lip for a moment and felt her eyes tear up; as much as she didn't want to stay engaged to the guy, she also didn't want to hurt him. But it was fairer.

"Hey Finn it's me how's your day going?."

There was a moment's delay as there always was with long distance calls and she smiled fondly as she heard him trying to sneak a bite of his burger between sentences.

"Pretty good actually, no heavy meetings and so far things seem to be running smoothly. Mostly I'm just watching the Giants get their ass kicked again."

Trying not to shudder at the sound of meat being eagerly consumed, she cleared her throat and sighed before carrying on.

"Finn we need to talk…about us. I don't think it's really working anymore."

There was a moment's silence when the background sound of the football game was abruptly muted, followed by the rustle of a napkin as he wiped his mouth.

"Rach, is this because I didn't take the transfer back to the US your dad's offered me?"

Eyes widening, she pulled the receiver away from her ear and stared at it in shock for a long moment before she realised he had started talking again.

"…cause I can totally explain that! It's just that I ended up joining the firm's soccer team. Well they call it football here but it's soccer to us and the team made me centre forward! And we're really high in the league right now. If I left, it would practically take us out of the running for the cup."

Pinching the bridge of her nose, Rachel was surprised to find she was closer to laughter than to anger. It certainly cemented the fact that this was definitely the right thing to do, sighing, she let her hand drop from her nose to her lap.

"No it isn't about that, or maybe it is in a way. The thing is you and I don't love each other the way we should, and we both know that,. don't we?, I mean it's not _just _me is it?"

There was a moment's silence and then she heard Finn heave a sigh as well.

"Maybe not but we could learn again, I mean we liked each other well enough in the past didn't we?"

Smiling sadly, Rachel wiped at her cheek, surprised to feel tears sliding down her face as she carried on talking, glad her breath control meant she could maintain her tone.

"Finn…that's just it, we have always liked each other, maybe even loved each other but we aren't in love. I don't think we ever were to be honest, but I do care for you Finn which is why I think this is best. If you truly loved me then you would want to be by my side…or I would want to be by yours, and yet we are both happy to be at least an entire continent apart."

Finn heaved another sigh and when he spoke it was slightly hoarse but with a forced cheerfulness.

"I know you're right but it still kinda hurts you know?"

Rachel swallowed and nodded before remembering he wouldn't be able to see over the phone.

"I know and we will always be friends at least…I mean if you want that?"

To his credit, he was quick to reply to that and she could hear the genuine smile in his voice.

"Hey don't be dumb of course we'll always be friends! Best friends even…we had some good times Rach and although this hasn't worked out I'm _not _sad that we dated…you know?"

Suddenly finding the lump of sorrow in her throat much easier to swallow down, the brunette smiled in genuine affection and replied softly.

"Me too Finn, now get back to your lunch and game…and don't worry I'll make sure to keep forwarding all your teams' games still."

He laughed softly and there was a moment's quiet before he spoke again.

"Just make sure you find someone who treats you right okay? You deserve to be happy Rach. I'll call you soon okay?"

With that he rung off and despite the inevitable sorrow she felt at the end of her relationship with Finn, she also felt a relief so intense she swore she was at least a stone lighter. It had been hard to break up with Finn, she knew it would be simply because they had been friends before they had become boyfriend and girlfriend. But…now she didn't feel guilty about the way she felt towards the hockey player. In fact it was the blonde haired, hazel- eyed girl that she finally let herself think of as she drifted off to sleep. When her fathers poked their heads around the door later to check on her, they noticed the faint smile on the brunette's features and relaxed. Now all they had to do was help the two skaters to manoeuvre through the landmine-infested battleground that was professional ice dancing.

The next morning, Rachel relaxed for a long moment just thinking about the way the last few days had gone by. Then her eyes bolted open as she realised that it was past time for her alarm to go off and if she didn't hurry, she would be the one buying the coffee! Literally exploding from the blissful comfort of her memory foam mattress, she cursed and started pulling clothes out hurriedly. As she ran down the stairs and past the dining room, she snatched up the glass of smoothie that her daddy had prepared for her. Neither of her parents raised an eyebrow at the rushed diva, as the mini competition between the two skaters had started months ago and they had gotten used to just holding up the things she would need as she zipped back and forth. Hearing Rachel getting her kit together, Hiram held up an empty hand and accepted the now drained glass as the brunette rushed past again to fetch her skates from the equipment room. Not looking up from his paper, Leroy muttered.

"Is she going to want almond croissants this morning or plain?"

Hiram shrugged as he turned to the comics with a grin and paused to glance at how many of each pastry was left on the plate.

"Just put one of each in there, and one of the cheese Danish's Quinn has a weakness for those as the chef informed me."

Nodding, Leroy slid the required pastries into the little baggie he had ready and held it up. Rachel swept past, wrapped up warm, with her skates over one shoulder and kitbag in hand. With her free hand, she reached out and snagged the baggie before calling a goodbye over her shoulder. Looking up briefly from the sports pages, Leroy frowned.

"Hiram…where exactly do they get the coffee from when they lose this silly competition?."

Looking up from the comics and pausing to help himself to another pastry, the shorter man thought for a moment.

"Oh, the Starbucks down the road, Rachel goes in there so often that whenever she loses the competition, she just calls up and one of the guys runs it down to her himself. It helps that she tips him twenty bucks every time."

Leroy smirked at his daughter's craftiness.

"That's my girl!"

Rachel burst into the rink…only to find Quinn already there and hastily working on something with pen and paper. When the door slid closed however, she smirked and looked up for a moment, before she could speak, the diva sighed good- naturedly.

"I know, I know…vanilla latte with cinnamon sprinkles, I'll call it now."

The hockey player grinned back and went to what she was working on, Rachel flipped out her cell phone and after speaking to Justin her favourite barista, she slid it closed and went to sit down next to her skating partner. Delving into the bag of pastries she pulled out the cheese Danish and waved it under the hockey player's nose. It took two passes before the blonde looked up from her pad and her eyes lit up.

"Aw man, cheese Danish, that's like my favourite…so long as I don't get too fat for these costumes we're going to have to squeeze into."

Rachel rolled her eyes and poked at the washboard abs of the hockey player with a certain amount of envy.

"It would take more than a few pastries to make you lose those abs Gretzky. Besides which, it's daddy's fault, he puts them in for you. Apparently the chef mentioned you like them a lot…what are you working on anyway?, I almost thought I was going to have to place it in your mouth to get your attention."

Flushing slightly at the very distinct nosedive her thoughts took when Rachel mentioned placing something in her mouth, she glanced down at her work and flushed again. Scratching the side of her nose, she fidgeted for a moment then passed the pad over. The brunette's eyes widened as she took in the sharp and detailed sketches her skating partner had been working on. There were costume designs for the Phantom number they had discussed on the way home yesterday as well as a page of designs for a James Bond themed number. Rachel glanced up at her from where she was seated next to the anxious blonde.

"These are really good Quinn! Good enough that we could use them to work with a costume designer. Together, we should be able to find a design that works for all of us."

Grinning slightly, the hockey player added hastily.

"And it doesn't look too much like Lycra…right?"

Rolling her eyes, the diva nodded in agreement and flipped the pad closed as they both heard a tentative knock on the door of the rink. Smiling happily, Rachel walked over and accepted her Starbucks order, tipping Justin the usual twenty, she watched as he grinned and headed off to his truck then moved over to hand the blonde her over sugared coffee.

"How you can drink it with that syrup in it is beyond me."

Shrugging, the hockey player took an appreciative sip and smacking her lips extra loudly, she nudged the brunette diva affectionately with her shoulder.

"Yeah well, I don't know how you can drink that crap that disguises itself as milk but is in actual fact…disgusting."

Raising an eyebrow, Rachel sat back and felt the need to point out.

"Well it didn't stop you from wolfing down the oatmeal that Santana made with it in it, did it?"

Quinn frowned for a moment, admitting she hadn't actually paused to ask what was in the oatmeal. Then she shrugged and reasoned it away.

"Yeah but that's because S has the ability to make anything taste good…even my cooking and that is one hell of a skill!"

Unfortunately, Rachel couldn't argue that point and so she merely pouted and sipped her own drink for a while. She hesitated, wondering whether or not it was too soon to tell her skating partner about her break up. Quinn wasn't pushing for any information however, just chatting amiably about how they could try and do a Batman themed ice dance. Pausing to smile fondly at the hockey player's enthusiasm for song and costume choice,. she waited for a lull in the conversation and then cleared her throat, raising a blonde eyebrow in question, Quinn turned to her.

"I spoke to Finn last night and we ended our relationship. We're still friends and it was all amicable but I am now single and free to be wooed."

Quinn tried to maintain her cool and calm façade but it was a losing battle from the start and she grinned widely.

"So um…if someone wanted to woo you then they would be okay to start doing that? Ya know with like gifts and dates and bad poetry?"

Rachel couldn't quite stop her giggle at that and she found herself unaccountably shy as she regarded the hockey player seated next to her.

"Yes you could safely assume that…um have you _really _written bad poetry for someone before?"

The brunette couldn't stop herself from asking that, she expected amusement from the blonde. Not the awkward scratch of the nose and muttering.

"Um…well it might not be that bad, I mean it's not like anyone ever critiqued it before. I just sort of um felt it welling up and had to write it down, you don't have to read it if you don't want to."

Quinn trailed off and found the crumbs of her Danish of sudden interest; wetting a forefinger, she dabbed up the crumbs and found herself wishing that Rachel would say something.

"Quinn that's…so amazingly sweet, I've never had had anyone do that before. And I don't care if you think it's rubbish, the fact you did it is just…well let's just say it's very woo-worthy."

Feeling the blush start to fade from her skin, Quinn smiled softly in relief and shrugged.

"I'm happy that you consider it woo-worthy Princess. Because I mean it is you that I wish to woo. Um on that note is there like a guide to wooing because I'm sort of flying blind here?"

Grinning, Rachel took the hockey player's hand and ran her thumb over the knuckles as she spoke.

"Trust me Gretzky, you're doing just fine with this. Wooing only really counts when it comes from the heart, and so far you're batting a hundred."

They just smiled shyly at each other then looked up when the door opened to reveal Coach Schue in all his cheery bouncy glory.

"Right guys, we got all the moves down pat singly now, so it's time to pick some music and think about costumes. Your first competition is in less than a month now."

He was taken aback when both skaters started laughing at this, it hadn't been that ludicrous a suggestion after all had it? When they could actually speak, Quinn passed over the pad of drawings and notes on songs and the coach had the good grace to blush even as he grinned.

"I keep forgetting that you two have very strong will's and even harder heads. This is some good stuff you have here. I'm going to start working on some notes in the meantime you guys know the drill…on the ice and let's see just what you've worked on together so far."

The rest of the afternoon went by in a blur, both women were happy with the way things were going for once. Quinn was busy thinking of ways to woo the brunette skater and Rachel was thinking of ways to wow the audience at their first competition. Whatever else happened the two of them were in this together now, heart and soul.


	11. Chapter 11

_I hope you enjoy this unexpected chapter of Thin Ice! I know I said I wanted a break until after Christmas but this chapter sort of wrote itself, damn Quinn and her odd wooing techniques…and also Leona Lewis because if I hadn't heard the song 'Stone Hearts and Hand Grenade's' then I wouldn't have had the idea that this chapter is based around. Anyway enjoy it as an added bonus and with any luck there will be a surprise on either Christmas day or Boxing day assuming I don't overdo the Bailey's and chocolate oranges that is! Feel free to leave comments as always but if not just sit back and enjoy as Quinn launches her wooing campaign! Love to you all xxx_

Rachel Berry was confused, very confused if the truth must be known. Usually in a coach and trainee situation, the coach was the one shouting at his protégés' and pushing them to work harder. However, someone somewhere along the line must have forgotten to deliver that message to Quinn Fabray. Currently the hot-headed hockey player was standing at the edge of the rink with her hands planted firmly on her hips (a move Rachel had to stop herself from smirking at as it was incredibly reminiscent of her own diva strops) as she yelled at coach Shuester.

"How the hell can you say we're ready! Did that look ready because it sure as fuck didn't feel ready!"

Holding out both hands with his palms facing Quinn in a calming gesture, Will cleared his throat before speaking. He was unsure what exactly had the blonde so mad and he had no intention of sparking another outburst if he could help it.

"Quinn I don't think you're giving yourself or Rachel enough credit. You guys look fantastic out there! You'r timing is perfect, synchronicity flawless and the delivery is dead on. I honestly don't know what flaw you find in all that which causes you to think you need to practice any more tonight?"

Running both hands through her hair irritably, Quinn turned her back muttering under her breath. While Rachel couldn't hear what words the hockey player was using, her coach's wince was enough to let her know it was probably x rated. Suddenly, Quinn spun back around and threw her hands up in frustration.

"Look, no offence but you aren't the one who's going to be out on the damn ice in two days time! It won't be you that makes Rachel's return to competitive skating a joke if you fuck up."

She trailed off and flushed, realising she'd probably said a bit too much about what exactly was motivating her. Will opened his mouth to speak but the brunette diva beat him to it.

"Coach Schue, I think Gretzky may be right. It looks good but it did almost feel as though we had a couple of wobbles. However as it is nearly nine, I can appreciate you have other commitments, why don't you go and enjoy what's left of the evening. Quinn and I are perfectly capable of working on the routine ourselves."

Will glanced warily between the two of them. Although they had been acting much more cordially to each other lately, he was worried that with the hockey player in this mood, things could degenerate if he left them alone. A quick look at the diva disabused him of that notion however when she merely nodded and smiled slightly. He glanced over at Quinn who was still muttering and scuffing her toe pick into the ice sullenly. Eventually, he sighed and offered a weak smile.

"Okay, fine I trust you two to work together without killing each other. Besides I need to make sure the costumiers have the outfits ready for the competition. Oh and I need to set your hair appointment up for tomorrow Quinn."

Ignoring him, the blonde just nodded vaguely and continued muttering, with a sigh and a half- hearted wave, Will decided it was safer to leave them to it. Once he had left the rink the blonde's shoulders relaxed, smiling lightly, Rachel smoothly skated over until she was in front of Quinn. Crossing her arms, the hockey player looked down at her skates determinedly. Sighing slightly, Rachel reached out with her own toe pick and tapped it against Quinn's.

"Hey grumpasaurus…you know we look good right?"

Looking up finally, Quinn tried to smother the worry in her eyes and force a smile.

"I know you look good, you always do…and that's kinda the problem Princess. You work really hard and you deserve to blow those idiots away, especially the ones doubting you for having a female partner."

Smile widening, the brunette shrugged one shoulder lightly.

"Exactly! And personally, I _know _we have the ingredients to do just that. We have a powerful and emotive song, an incredibly complex yet flowing routine and the perfect outfit…sorry about the Lycra…again."

Despite her worry, a small smile crept over Quinn's face as she remembered the look of pure horror she had worn when the costume guys had held up the initial all- in- one tuxedo effect monstrosity they had put together. Sensing that the hockey player was close to yelling and throttling one of the beaming men (or crying), Rachel had leapt in and said they had been hoping for something more traditional. Unable to vocalise anything that didn't contain a stream of profanity, Quinn had just nodded in agreement. Eventually, they had gone for Lycra effect trousers with a free flowing white shirt and black jacket, needless to say that had calmed Quinn down immensely!

"Yeah…I know and thanks for putting it diplomatically, I was about to blow up at those guys. I just…I guess maybe I'm a _tiny _bit…scared."

Rachel's eyebrows shot upwards in shock and she watched as the hockey player rubbed the back of her neck nervously.

"I can tell you with one hundred percent honesty that you have _nothing _to worry about. We are going to be spectacular…look is there anything we can do to maybe make you feel more confident about this?"

If it was possible, Quinn fell a little more in love with Rachel right there and then. Instead of lightly joking with her or perhaps trying to get a rise out of her (as Santana would have done), Rachel had just calmly accepted her fear and set about trying to help her ease it. Reaching out, Quinn caught the diva's hand with one of her own and smiled as she shook her head.

"You know it's not fair really. We start getting along and…stuff and you keep revealing how amazing you are."

Before Rachel could agree or argue the point, Quinn rushed on.

"I guess maybe the one downside of choosing this song to perform is that it means a lot to me. Maybe a bit too much and I want to do it, and you, justice. I just…when I hear this song, it sums up the torment that the Phantom must be going through. I mean here he is this scarred, street kid who now lives in the sewers and can only show his excellence through the guise of other's. And he falls for the most amazing, kind hearted and sheltered girl…who he knows he will never be good enough for. He knows that in the end, she will choose the safety and predictability of Raoul, that's why 'Point of No Return' is so poignant. He knows that when they sing that song, she will either choose to come with him or she will be lost to him forever. That's why although he could force her to stay with him, he wouldn't, couldn't do it. He loved her too much…so he let her go, never loved again. I guess he knew there was only one person out there for him…"

She trailed off eventually but the passion in her voice as she spoke revealed more than just her love of that particular story. Rachel felt the hockey player try to let go of her hand and instead of allowing her to, she tightened her hold and with a small tug brought Quinn closer.

"It sounds to me like you…perhaps identify a little with that story? Maybe we should have found a way to make Batman work on the ice huh?"

At the gentle teasing, Quinn chuckled and ducked her head again, this time directing her gaze off to the side.

"I just want you to be…proud to be seen with me, not embarrassed."

Now it was Rachel's turn to fall just a little bit harder in love. Squeezing the slightly shaking hand in her own once more, the diva bit her lip for a moment as she thought.

"I know what we're going to do…we're going to listen to the song again and this time we're going to sing it!"

Hazel eyes widened in dismay and Quinn looked around as though terrified of a hidden audience.

"Princess I can't sing! We established that at Rock Band 2011."

Rolling her eyes good- naturedly, the skater pushed on Quinn's shoulders lightly so she slid back on her skates. Before anything else could be said, she held up a pointed finger and skated backwards until she reached the i Pod dock. Sighing slightly and crossing her arms, the blonde waited with a fond smile until Rachel skated back over to her with the slim remote in hand.

"You're _actually _going to make me do this aren't you?"

Giggling lightly, the diva nodded and took both of the calloused hands into hers.

"Yes I most certainly am! Anything to help you realise how much work you have actually put into this and how good you are. But first we need to do a little exercise in imagination."

Unable to help herself, Quinn grinned and waggled her eyebrows.

"Believe me when I say there is _nothing _about my imagination that needs exercising!"

Freeing one hand momentarily to slap at the blonde's arm lightly with a mock stern look, the diva quickly caught Quinn's hand again and tried to ignore the pout. (which admittedly was difficult as the blonde had quite a cute pout)

"Not that kind of exercise! Now take a few calming breaths and close your eyes okay?"

Pushing down her reluctance, Quinn blew out a breath and did as Rachel asked. Once she was sure that the hockey player's eyes were closed, the diva closed her own and spoke quietly.

"Okay, now I want you to imagine that you are him, you are the Phantom…and I'm your Christine. You have this one chance to tell me how you feel and persuade me to join you in the sewers. When the music starts…sing, sing your heart out and let me know how much you want me."

Glad she had just taken in a breath, Quinn managed to get her breathing under control before she let it out. Rachel opened her eyes and pressed play, moments later the music started and as they let go of each others' hands, Quinn started to sing. At first she sounded unsure but that was the way she wanted to sound, as far as she could see the Phantom would have been nervous and exhilarated at the same time. Rachel's breath almost stuck in her throat when she heard the first few notes. While it was true that Quinn's voice lacked the punch that the rest of her family had when it came to singing, she had found her motivation. And with that motivation, she seemed to have gained the ability to tap into her passion. The brunette was glad that she had nothing to do but stand still for this, as she wasn't sure her legs would support her if she tried to move. Although they were only singing this time and not performing the routine, Quinn couldn't stay still as she sang. Especially when she reached the more impassioned lyrics, at that point, she moved smoothly around the diva, her hands held out imploringly. Brown wonder- filled eyes followed her with so much attentiveness that Rachel almost missed her cue.

Quinn surprised herself with the amount of emotion she poured into the words and when it came to Rachel's turn to sing, she found she was almost as eager as she imagined the Phantom had been to hear Christine's answer. Which is why she was so taken aback when the brunette diva let loose a tremulous start that did nothing but draw the blonde into the song even more. Rachel found that the song was beginning to take on more significance for her as well. As she sang to Quinn, she saw more than perhaps the hockey player ever intended anyone to see. She should have guessed why this film, and in particular this song, held such a meaningful and important place in Quinn's heart. The blonde identified with the main character, she thought of herself as flawed, damaged and so far beneath someone like Rachel that she had about as much chance of happiness as the Phantom did. She may well have been nervous about their first competition but it was more than that. Santana had warned her that Quinn may well panic and doubt her self-worth and now it had happened, Rachel was determined to reassure her.

As the song progressed, both skaters found that they were putting their own hopes and fears into the lyrics. Neither of them could remain still either and without conscious thought, they started falling into the moves they had worked on for so long. By the time the song ended, they were in their finishing position. Quinn standing slightly away from Rachel with her hand held out behind her. The diva was gripping her hand and was crouched down, her other hand reaching out as though towards someone else. After a moment in which they both took the time to get their breath back, Rachel stood and turned, tugging gently to pull the hockey player round to face her.

"So…did that help at all, I mean you were, well you were _amazing _and if I was Christine and you were _my _Phantom…I wouldn't have thought twice about joining you in the sewers."

Flushing lightly, the diva bit her lower lip shyly as she watched Quinn closely. The blonde looked stunned for a second and then with a sudden blink and swallow she smiled back.

"You…wow, I mean I didn't _expect _it to but yeah. Singing it _did _help, I felt closer to the routine, I guess that was what was missing. We weren't feeling it as much as we should…or at least _I _wasn't. Anyone ever tell you that you're a genius, Princess?"

Scrunching her nose up in thought as she tilted her head to the side, the diva finally giggled.

"Well yes, but that was my fathers and I don't think that counts. So thank you and I was doing it for both of us. _I _know we're going to blow those idiots away and now _you _do too so we will be unstoppable!"

Laughing slightly, Quinn took the opportunity to look away, in an effort to lighten the mood she shook her head slightly.

"The world is in trouble if you ever to decide to go all Pinky & The Brain on us and take over the world."

Snorting slightly, the brunette diva skated over to turn the i Pod off, once she had done that, she yawned and groaned at a crick in her neck.

"I really have to stop falling asleep in that chair, I feel like someone tried to tie my neck into a pretzel."

She heard Quinn come up behind her and turned with a faint wince. The hockey player's eyes narrowed in sympathetic pain and she reached out before hesitating.

"Um…I could take a look at it you know? I mean I'm no physio but the amount of sports teams I was on you learn some stuff. And by stuff I mean physical stuff…not as in like sex stuff! I mean yeah you do learn that stuff because it's like locker room talk but that's not the sort of thing I would want to use on you. Oh hell no wait! I mean obviously at some point I would but not in like a…um point scoring thing and only if you wanted me to, I mean us to…"

Taking pity on the rapidly reddening and stuttering blonde, Rachel reached out and held her hands up in a 'stop' motion.

"Okay as amusing as it is to see a smooth talker like you trip over their own words, I'm worried you might pass out if you don't stop to breathe. And relax I don't think that of you, and if the offer is still there then yes I would appreciate it if you could take a look for me because it's incredibly uncomfortable."

Blowing out a breath and ducking her head in mild embarrassment, Quinn fought the urge to deflect the feeling with a sarcastic comment or joke. Instead she nodded and reached out motioning for Rachel to take a seat.

"Yeah…I'm not used to this being myself thing, I keep putting on the invisible armour you know?"

Smiling back, the brunette sat down to remove her skates and sink into the plush cushions of the sofa, moments later Quinn joined her.

"I know Gretzky, if it helps I really like the you that leaves the armour off."

Quinn shook her head with a laugh.

"Okay now that's not fair! It's hard enough resisting the urge to make smutty comments but when you give me openings like that…are you _trying _to test me Princess?"

Batting her eyelashes in exaggerated innocence, the brunette lay a hand on her chest.

"I'm sure I don't know _what _you're implying there Miss Fabray!"

She managed to hold the look for a whole three seconds before collapsing into giggles. She also just dodged the poke aimed for her side but the manoeuvre resulted in a hiss of pain. Quinn swiftly knelt behind Rachel and after turning her slightly so she could access the abused muscle properly, began to massage it. It only took a few minutes before the pain turned into a feeling of relaxed bliss.

"Oh wow…that's _really _good, who on earth taught you how to do this?"

Smiling slightly, Quinn shrugged a shoulder and carried on easing the knotted muscle as she spoke.

"Coach Schue's friend Shannon taught me how to do it, this was way after school of course. I was making some extra cash helping her coach a couple of pee- wee leagues when I managed to sprain an ankle. While I was laid up, she helped the physio along with her own knowledge and lent me some books…I kinda taught myself and used it when the kids got hurt."

Unseen by the hockey player, Rachel smiled fondly.

"You know…every time I think I know you, you reveal something else. It's like having never ending presents in pass the parcel…something under each layer."

Snorting slightly in amusement, Quinn moved from a kneading motion to a mild stretching one; which the blonde secretly felt was very like the motions Santana used when making bread.

"I swear to god that if you start comparing me to an onion or an ogre I will _insist _on a Batman routine and embarrass us both…_severely_!"

Rolling her eyes, Rachel let out a small but satisfied groan as she felt the last of the tension leaving her muscles.

"I promise you are nothing like Shrek…maybe Donkey?"

She grinned as she felt the hands pause for a moment, they started up moments later and the brunette could actually _hear _the pout in her skating partner's voice.

"I am most definitely not Donkey! If I were to be anyone in those films then I would be the wolf…or maybe, maybe I could be Puss, he was by far and away the coolest character."

Sighing slightly, the diva allowed Quinn to work in silence for a few moments before reluctantly admitting.

"You do know that in reality we are very much more like Shrek and Fiona though right?"

Pausing to echo Rachel's sigh, Quinn chuckled then nodded before realising that the diva wouldn't be able to see her.

"Yeah I know, which makes me the smelly ogre and you the odd…oh hey! The odd _Princess_! That actually fits, well it fits except for the fact _we _aren't green and I'm not accompanied by a talking donkey unless you count Santana!"

They both paused for a moment and then the hockey player's hands fell from Rachel's neck as they collapsed into giggles at the image of Donkey with Santana's attitude. Eventually, the laughter tapered off and they wiped at the tears in their eyes breathlessly.

"Oh god, if I didn't think she would kick my ass all the way back here, I'd go home to tell her!"

Rachel's eyes widened in sudden panic that was only half feigned.

"Okay well if you _do _tell her then I never laughed…or even hinted that it _might _be funny!"

With her grin suddenly widening, Quinn reached out and put an arm around the diva's shoulder in a companionable gesture.

"Don't worry Princess, your big bad ogre will protect you."

Turning to smile back at the hockey player, it occurred to her just how close the two of them were at that point. She felt herself flush as her eyes unconsciously strayed to the blonde's lips. She was so close she could tell that after her can of soda earlier, Quinn had chewed on a stick of Big Red. The cinnamon scent was faint but still distinguishable in the very small space between them. Quinn became aware of their closeness at much the same time and she had to literally yell into the ear of her subconscious to slam the reminder home that she was taking this slow. Swallowing on a suddenly parched throat, the hockey player sat up and trudged over to gather her gear together.

"I guess we should think about an early night…well semi early as it's nearly ten now."

Stretching her now deliciously relaxed muscles, the diva was half relieved and half annoyed that Quinn had eased away from her. She knew it was because they had agreed to take things slow and get to know each other…but her body had felt a surge that sent tingles to the tips of her fingers and it made her wonder what an actual kiss would do to her.

"Well yes, I suppose we should but we do have tomorrow off remember? Apart from a costume fitting in the early evening, we're free to do what we want. Then Friday is a last run through in the costumes and then we travel to the competition on Saturday morning."

Trying to calm the rolling in her stomach, Quinn nodded along pleasantly enough and after a tiny hesitation during which the blonde chewed her lip hard enough to draw blood, she cleared her throat.

"So…um would you perhaps maybe like to come over for lunch? I mean I have those vegan dishes that S sent back with us…"

Smiling shyly, Rachel cocked her head slightly.

"Quinn Fabray are you asking me on a date?"

Flushing slightly, Quinn found her brain was suddenly caught in a maelstrom. God yes! She desperately wanted to make it a date, it was her intention but now she was second guessing herself and wondering if things were moving too fast again! Well she was, up until the moment small hands closed over her own forcing her out of her reverie. Rachel's brown eyes held her own nervous hazel ones until she relaxed and nodded ever so slightly.

"Well…actually yeah, I was left-handedly asking you for a date. I'm not used to this so I may not be doing it quite right."

Smiling, Rachel reached up and patted the hockey player's cheek lightly.

"Trust me you're doing fine Gretzky…but now I am aching for a hot bath and an iced tea possibly with an episode of Friends."

Smiling and feeling more relaxed again, the hockey player hiked her bag over her shoulder and used her free hand to grab up Rachel's bag. The little diva tried protesting the action at first.

"You don't have to carry my bags you know…I'm not a _real _Princess after all."

Leading the way to the door leading to the main house, Quinn laughed lightly and shrugged despite the bags on both shoulders.

"Well, you're a real one to _me _and that's what matters. Besides which I'm trying the whole chivalrous thing, which is _not _exclusive to men despite what people think."

Sighing dramatically, Rachel swept the door open and waited for Quinn to go through before following after her.

"Well if you insist then I suppose I shall just have to get used to being treated like royalty, Princesses _are _after all royalty."

Wondering _just _what she might have let herself in for, Quinn dropped the brunette's kit bag just inside the utility room. Turning, she smiled softly as she watched Rachel easing her coat off as an image swam into her brain so clearly she could have sworn it was reality and not her wild imaginings. Her and Rachel, years from now and in their own house. Far less grand than the brunette's home was, more of a country cottage with, of course, a real fireplace. The two of them coming in from a practice session and offloading their equipment before sinking into a hot tub and then snuggling up before the fire. The image brought with it such a feeling of comfort, familiarity and love that her eyes blurred with tears of emotion. Clearing her throat with a shake of her head, Quinn tucked her hands into the back pockets of the loose jeans she wore for practice.

"Um yeah, well thanks again for this afternoon. Believe it or not, singing the song really _did _help me, I mean I'm still nervous or to be more accurate I'm shi…uh _really _scared but it's manageable now."

Smiling brightly, the diva nodded.

"Hey it was my pleasure…now go home and take a soak yourself! The last thing we need before our first competition is you stiffening up because you forgot to look after yourself properly."

Taking one hand from her pocket, Quinn tugged on an imaginary forelock of hair and bowed slightly.

"Whatever your majesty wishes!"

Rolling her eyes, the little diva balled up and threw her hand towel, which she was just getting ready to put in the wash bin, at the hockey player instead.

Ducking the poorly aimed missile, Quinn grinned and picked up her kit bag again.

"You got it Rach, I'll see you tomorrow for lunch okay…and it's Santana's cooking so you're safe, I promise!"

They stood awkwardly for a moment, both wondering what was the best way to say goodbye, in the end they just smiled at each other shyly again and then the hockey player ducked out of the door and headed back to her own chalet. Both of them however were wearing ridiculously large grins.

Two hours later, Quinn was pacing her small bedroom however and worrying, a lot! She hadn't been joking when she said she wasn't used to dating. In fact tomorrow would be her first date ever, and she was beginning to realise that maybe she was a little old for first date nerves. Not that it stopped her and she forced herself to sit down and think clearly. At least she was cooking (or at least warming) a meal for her here, which strangely wasn't as much of a rock face to climb as taking her to a restaurant would have been. Not that she didn't want to take her out; if she could she'd gladly take Rachel everywhere she went for the rest of her life. But the fact was that at least if things went wrong here, it wasn't far for her to walk Rachel home, not that it was going to go wrong! Groaning, she face palmed heavily and ended up lying down and glaring up at the ceiling. She knew what she had to do but pride was standing in her way, however her need to make sure the date went well finally outweighed her reluctance and with a small oath, she grabbed up her cell phone and dialled the familiar number. If she was lucky then her mom's would be home and it wouldn't be answered by…

"Lopez, whaddya want?"

Wincing and face palming again, the hockey player blew out a breath.

"San does mom know you answer the phone like that? Not _exactly _the impression we're looking for if her doctor rings."

There was a muted snort from the other end of the phone and then the Latina reminded her in a sarcastic tone.

"Caller I.D remember you doofus! Now seriously what did you want cos ma took mom for her therapy, she had a couple of twinges this morning and they were still hurting so they went in this afternoon."

Sitting up abruptly, Quinn's date worries were immediately surpassed by concern for her parents.

"Shit…are they, I mean is mom going to be okay? They said she wouldn't be in any immediate trouble for a year and we only need another two months and we'll have the money for the operation."

Santana's tone went from casual to soothing.

"Whoa there Q, no need to call out the SWAT team…she's going to be fine. The doctor warned them it might happen every so often and to come in when it did. They didn't want to tell you because they didn't want you worrying."

Quinn wasn't sure if the gut-punched feeling she was currently experiencing was from the mild panic or the thought that her parents were more worried about _her _than her mom.

"That's stupid! Why would they be worrying about me, I'm doing okay right now, better than usual in fact."

Santana laughed softly and with a sigh she explained patiently.

"That's exactly why you dork…this is the first thing you have ever shown any passion for and I'm not just talking about how you feel for Rachel. Quinn, everything you've done in your life so far has been about the easiest road but this isn't. You actually care about what you're doing and though you may threaten to beat me senseless for saying it…you _love _figure skating and you're good at it, better than you were at hockey, am I right?"

Rubbing the back of her neck, Quinn lay back down and pondered how to answer.

"I just…it challenges me, it's not like hockey. Hockey is the same thing in every game just different plays but figure skating is…amazing! You have to coordinate music with moves and fit it into the different length dances. There's so much more than just grabbing a stick and smacking at the puck. I guess that yeah…I do care about it a lot, I want to be good at this San, I want to be good because then something matters."

There was a moments silence before Santana spoke again, when she did, there was not even a hint of mockery in her voice.

"And they know that…they're _proud _of you Quinn and although I'll batter you to death with your own hockey stick if you repeat this…so am I. And whether or not you have realised it yet, so is Rachel, so don't blame mom and ma for not telling you okay?"

Half smiling and allowing for the fact that her mom really wasn't in any danger, the blonde eventually grunted.

"Fine okay I won't mention it. So they _aren't _there then…damn."

Quinn could almost see Santana's eye roll on the other end of the phone and mentally counted down from 3, 3...2...1!

"Just spit it out Fabray! Whatever you rang them for I'm pretty sure I can help as well."

Gritting her teeth for a long moment, the hockey player eventually spoke.

"I…asked Rachel over for lunch tomorrow and I'm worried. It's just that I haven't done the whole dating thing like ever! And I mean what do people say and do on a date, because we're on a go slow kind of thing anyway and I want her to know that I'm still interested in her in like the majorest way possible without her thinking that I'm just after one thing."

There was a moments silence and then stifled laughter from the other side. Pulling her phone from her ear, she stared at it in a mix of shock and hurt. After a moment it tapered off and Santana spoke swiftly.

"Okay I'm sorry but that was…you sounded like a fifteen year old on their first date, it was something I never expected to hear from you and it just took me off guard. It was actually really sweet."

Huffing stiffly into the phone, Quinn was tempted to hang up when her sister started to actually sound helpful.

"Quinn, you already know she likes you right? And she ditched the fiancé right?"

At the hockey player's positive grunts, Santana carried on.

"So you're past the whole 'does she, doesn't she' stage Q, she made the move for you in dumping her guy. What you need to do is just give her _something_, a sign that you haven't changed your mind and that you definitely want her. Without of course scaring her off by trying to slide home on the first date!"

Growling, the blonde managed to not throw her phone across the room and instead just face palmed again.

"I know what I _need _to do I just don't know _how_! Christ Santana a little advice here would be good, this one is different she actually matters and I…this is _the one _okay?"

Silence fell for a moment and then the Latina spoke in a much softer tone.

"I'm sorry…this is difficult for me, we mock each other all the time so I'm trying to shift gears and find the one marked 'sensitive' and before you ask, yes I _do _have one of those! Look kiddo, you have to be yourself and do what you think is right. She likes you not me and so what I might do on a date is not what you would. Just take a deep breath and think carefully."

Running her free hand through her hair, Quinn frowned as she concentrated and then chewed on her lip in her usual overly enthusiastic manner.

"I want to do all the stuff that those guys did in the old movies we used to watch. I want to buy her flowers but I'm worried about that because I know they all have different meanings and what if I get the wrong ones? And I want to make her something edible, not just the warming up of a meal but actually make something. Then I'd love to go for a walk with her, nothing overly contrived, just a hand in hand walk to watch the moon rise. It's a full one tonight and they always look awesome…remember we used to try and sleep in the tree house when they were full moons?"

Although she was unaware of it, on the other end of the phone, Santana was grinning and she fist-bumped Brittany who had been sitting next to her on the couch listening in.

"So do that then? It sounds like the sort of thing she would love. And as for the flowers, don't stress about the meaning behind them, just go in the florist's, look around and choose what feels right okay?"

Suddenly feeling a lot lighter and less stressed about the whole prospect of the date, Quinn half smiled and nodded to herself.

"As odd as it is to say this, you actually did help S…I'm shocked!"

The grunt on the other end of the phone was mildly annoyed and Santana sighed before replying blithely.

"Yeah, yeah no need to get all sappy on me Fabray! Just don't mess this up okay, oh and we'll see you on Saturday, we got the tickets Rachel sent us."

Quinn's eyes widened so much she was worried they would fall out of their sockets, clearing the squeak out of her throat, the hockey player managed to utter.

"You uh…you're _all _coming then?"

Now there was a definite hint of malicious glee in the Latina's tone.

"_Oh _yeah! Me and Brittany, Dave and both mom and ma managed to get the time off of work so we're all travelling up together. We booked into the same hotel as you guys so if everything goes to plan then we'll take you out for dinner afterwards. In fact, I think mom has already been on the phone to one of Rachel's dad's organising it…anyway I have to go cos Brit and I are making dinner, take care kiddo!"

Before Quinn could even think of returning the farewell, she was listening to the dial tone. Letting the phone drop from her hand, the blonde groaned and rolled over to mutter into the pillowcase.

"_Well _if I manage to lose my pants halfway through the routine then yeah…I think I may just be living my nightmare on Saturday."

Rachel was just emerging from the bathroom in her thick red dressing gown when she first heard it. A weird odd pinging sound, when it didn't repeat itself after a minute or so, she shook her head and sat down at the vanity to finish drying her hair and brushing through it. Five minutes later, she heard it again and shut off the hair dryer with a frown. Looking around and cocking her head slightly, she strained to hear exactly where the sound was coming from. She was just about to turn the hair drier on again when she heard it again. Sighing in annoyance, she lay the drier down and stood up moving towards the window where she thought she could hear the sound coming from. Yep, sure enough there was it again, a faint ping, coming from the window itself. Pulling her pepper spray from the nightstand, Rachel went to the window and very cautiously looked outside. She smiled in confused relief when she saw what was causing the noise. Quinn was under her window with a handful of gravel chunks that she was throwing at the glass gently. She grinned and waved shyly when she saw the diva had spotted her. Opening the window, Rachel leant her crossed arms on the sill and shook her head fondly.

"What on earth are you doing out there Gretzky! Not only is it freezing out there but for some insane reason, you came out here in your dressing gown and…um are those bunny slippers?"

Hazel eyes widening in realization, Quinn looked down then blanched slightly. Rubbing the back of her neck, she looked back up and shrugged slightly.

"Well the dressing gown is for a reason but the bunny slippers…yeah, _that _was definitely an oversight! But one I'm sure we can keep between ourselves right?"

Smirking, Rachel was the one to shrug a shoulder this time before she propped her chin one hand.

"We shall see Gretzky, we shall see…but to revisit the main point of my previous question. What are you _doing _down there?"

Blowing out a breath, the hockey player mentally crossed her fingers and went ahead with the idea she had after she hung up with Santana.

"Well, see the thing is I was maybe panicking earlier about tomorrow's date and so I rang my mom's. But they weren't in and I ended up with Santana…once she finished laughing her ass off she made a real good point so, um well I'll _try _and say this properly but usually me and words are like you and…um _non _words. As in I don't talk a lot because I'm not as clever with them as you are."

Rachel's smirk turned into a fond grin and she let her chin sink into both hands now as her elbows took up residence on the sill. She motioned with a nod that she was ready to hear what Quinn wanted to say. Below her, the blonde swallowed and suddenly wondered why the hell she was even attempting this, one look up at the woman in the window however and the butterflies in her stomach calmed down.

"See the thing is, I appreciate the fact that you have taken a big step in ending what you had with Finn to…well, to give me a _chance_, to give us a chance and so I'm a little bit behind in the honesty stakes. Which is why I'm here to make a bit of an ass of myself and let you know how much it means to me. Let you know I'm going to do my best for you, to be with you, because I _really _want this. I really want _us_."

Another deep breath and the hockey player let the dressing gown slip off her shoulders to reveal…the hideous tuxedo styled Lycra monstrosity that Rachel had thought had been consigned to the garbage can. Smiling crookedly, Quinn looked up and threw her hands out to the side.

"Just to let you know, that even if it meant dressing like this…in front of thousands of people then I would do it. _Just _to be with you, whether it's on the ice or off I'm willing to do what it takes, and to that end I have um, found something I want to sing you."

Fumbling in the pocket of the robe on the floor, she pulled out a sheet of paper that she had obviously written the lyrics on. Straightening it out, she looked up and cleared her throat.

"This is just in case I forget what the words are. I mean I was just going to hold up a boom box and play it to you, you know sort of like in the movie 'Say Anything'? But after earlier when you asked me to sing…well just know this is your _own _fault."

She grinned at the wonderful sound of Rachel's light laughter and with a final clearing of her throat, the hockey player began to sing. The diva hadn't heard the song before and due to a slight case of nerves on Quinn's part, Rachel was unsure if the slight wobble in her voice was intended or not. Whether it was or not, the actual lyrics were rather poignant and Rachel suspected that was the whole point. To her credit, Quinn only had to glance at the lyric sheet once during her entire recitation. The cold was getting to her slightly by the end but despite the slight shiver, she felt amazing and her grin was blinding as she looked nervously up to the brunette. There was a moments pause and then Rachel held up a finger indicating that Quinn should wait before she disappeared back into the bedroom.

The hockey player still had her head craned upwards towards the open window when she heard the back door open. Her eyes widened slightly in panic as she imagined one of the diva's fathers coming out to find out what was behind the caterwauling. Instead it was Rachel herself who came jogging over in her tiger feet slippers and dressing gown as well. Quinn opened her mouth to speak but before she could, she found herself drawn into a warm hug. As the warmth from the brunette started to surround her, the blonde stopped shivering and let out a small but happy sigh. Letting go long enough to grab up the dressing gown, Rachel waited until Quinn gratefully slipped it back on and then hugged her again, though loosely this time so she could maintain eye contact.

"So…you think of yourself as the 'stone heart' I'm assuming, which would make me the 'hand grenade'?"

Wrinkling her nose at the way Rachel stripped the song down to its basic components, Quinn eventually nodded.

"Yeah, I mean…the thing is that before you, I may as well have had a stone heart and then you came along and boom! It's like all of a sudden the stuff I always thought I wouldn't be able to feel I suddenly can. You're just this massively destructive force in my life, but in the good way. You blew away all my walls and it's like now I can't see myself being without you."

She'd started confidently but as the sentence wore on, Quinn's voice got quieter and more heartfelt. When she stopped, Rachel reached up and cupping the blonde's face with one hand, she rubbed her thumb gently over a soft but slightly chilled cheek. For a moment, they just looked into each other's eyes appreciating the way the snow muted the world around them. Then with a small swallow, the brunette leaned forward and the hand resting on Quinn's cheek urged the blonde forward. The first touch of the diva's lips to hers was light and questioning, barely there at first. A part of Quinn was elated beyond belief, this hadn't been her intention at all, she had merely wanted to do what Rachel had done and show that she was ready for all this. Now it was happening however, she wasn't going to argue and she chased the retreating kiss reassuringly. Rachel had been worried by the lack of reaction at first and was wondering if it was in fact her who was pushing the hockey player too far too fast. She almost sighed in relief when the slightly chilled lips chased her retreating ones and tempted them back.

For the first time in her life, Quinn didn't want to rush a kiss, while she had experienced pretty much every type of kiss from before from angry and possessive to sensual and teasing…_somehow _this innocent closed lip exploration was the one that was rocking her world. She could feel Rachel's full lips moving against hers, kissing the bottom then the top one before she kissed both again. Keeping the groan firmly behind her closed lips, the hockey player was relieved beyond words that their arms had crept around each other as she wasn't sure that she would have stayed on her feet otherwise. Her hands had made their way to the small of the diva's back and were gently kneading the area they rested on. Rachel's hands had risen and linked behind Quinn's neck to urge her to bend her head a little and negate the very slight height difference.

For her part, Rachel was in heaven, she had felt a little unsure of kissing Quinn, not because she was having second thoughts however. Her reluctance stemmed from the fact she had never kissed a woman before and while she knew the hockey player wouldn't mock her, she was embarrassed to mention it. She wished now she had made the move earlier because kissing Quinn was completely different to kissing Finn. It felt unfair to compare the two but she couldn't help herself, whereas Finn had been eager and insistent, Quinn was tentative and gentle and…actually an amazing kisser! She didn't feel that a kiss had to be a prelude to anything else, it was simply to be enjoyed for what it was and she was definitely enjoying it. The blonde was kissing her with the love she professed and it was more convincing than words for some reason. She was so comfortable with kissing Quinn that she wanted to deepen it and tentatively, she licked the hockey player's lower lip.

When Quinn felt the wet warmth of Rachel's tongue swipe at her lower lip, she gasped at the unexpected jolt of arousal she felt. It was such a seemingly mild gesture and yet it evoked such a powerful reaction that Quinn was glad she had learned to lock her knees. She allowed her mouth to open slightly and returned the gesture, both skaters whimpered slightly as their tongues met for the first time. Rachel felt the hands on the small of her back grip more tightly for the briefest of moment before slipping down and across to rest on her hips, the thumbs lightly stroking. Rachel's hands also moved, one slid up and into the tangled blonde locks massaging Quinn's scalp lightly as the other crept round and onto the hockey player's neck, finger nails scratching lightly at the nape.

They held onto each other tightly as the kiss remained gentle but became more exploratory until eventually they knew each other's mouths as well as their own and were panting for breath. Finally, they released each other's mouths and Rachel sank her head onto Quinn's shoulder with a happy sigh as she continued to lightly scratch at the hockey player's neck. Quinn however was trying to remember if she had always had stars in front of her eyes or if it was just a side effect of kissing one! After she got her breathing back under control, she let out a light chuckle and turning her face, lightly kissed the little diva's temple.

"Wow…where did _that _come from Princess?"

Lifting her head and blinking sleepy brown eyes, Rachel smiled and let out a breath before giving into the temptation to kiss the tip of the hockey player's crooked nose.

"I just…couldn't help myself, and I loved that song you have to make me a copy…especially as it's now sort of our song. I never thought I would love being compared to a hand grenade."

Rolling her eyes slightly, Quinn felt another shiver move through her and she gestured with her head to the house.

"You should get inside before you catch a cold and we miss the competition."

Nodding slightly and trying unsuccessfully to stifle a yawn, Rachel blushed guiltily. Quinn just laughed softly and nudged her.

"Go on…the sooner you get to sleep the sooner we can eat some more of Santana's magical food."

Sighing, Rachel nodded and reached up on tiptoes to press a kiss to Quinn's forehead.

"Fine but you need to as well, I won't be the only one risking flu tonight. And if I haven't said it yet already…thank you for tonight, for this. I have never been serenaded before so right now I would say that makes you a pretty kick ass wooer."

That definitely made the hockey player grin and with one last gentle kiss, the two parted, both chilled to the bone and shivering but ridiculously happy.

The next day was miserably dark and with more snow forecast for that afternoon, it was exactly the kind of day to spend indoors curled by the fire with a good book or in Quinn's case, a series of Law and Order SVU. Well, until she realised she had to put together the lunch that is, at which point she leapt off the sofa so quickly she almost fell flat on her ass. For the next half an hour, the small but cosy chalet was filled with more "fuck's" than the first ten minutes of 'Four Weddings & a Funeral' as the hockey player ran around cleaning up and cursing the fact that she forgot to take the meals out of the freezer last night. Eventually, she had the four-room chalet looking neat and smelling clean and after lighting some scented candles Santana had snuck into her bag, she took a glance around the room. Everything looked okay and the meals were defrosting on the special tray that her mom had also snuck into her bag (along with instructions on how to use it because she knew Quinn would forget things like defrosting).

Smiling slightly at her family's sneaky but loving ways, Quinn shook her head and then looked down at herself and pulled a face. The chalet was clean but most of the grime it contained was now on her, she sighed and after checking the clock, leapt into the shower. Fifteen minutes later, a clean and relatively smartly dressed Quinn (black jeans, red polo shirt and black sneakers) decided that as she had so much time she could also plan a dessert. Now although cooking was something she was avoided like the plague, she also knew that not all dishes needed cooking. In particular, she remembered a particularly light yet creamy chocolate mousse that Santana had made that Thanksgiving weekend. The only cooking involved was melting the vegan chocolate and she was pretty sure she could handle that. A quick text to her sister later and she had the list of ingredients and recipe e mailed to her. Time for Quinn to prove that she wasn't a complete idiot when it came to the kitchen!.

Despite the date only being down the road and nothing grand, Rachel had panicked that morning when she remembered her plans for the day. Not so much for the date itself as she was looking forward to a day of no skating and getting to know Quinn better without anyone else around. However, when it came to what to wear for said date…that was a whole other kettle of fish! There followed a gruelling three-hour fashion show during which both Hiram and Leroy had had to pinch each other on a regular basis to stay awake. As far as they were concerned, Rachel looked good in whatever she wore but as she pointed out several times, she had no idea what the date might entail apart from dinner. At that Leroy had smirked and promptly received a cushion in the face from his husband and daughter. Eventually, the little diva had settled on soft black trousers with an emerald green sweatshirt and warm fleece lined boots that reached mid calf.

Ten minutes before she was due at Quinn's chalet she wondered belatedly if she should take something. Not that she knew what to take exactly though, in a fit of desperation, she started rummaging through the kitchen cupboards and grinned when she spotted the perfect gift. Grabbing the item, she found a small gift bag leftover from some celebration or other she couldn't remember and slid it inside. With one last look in the mirror, she fluffed her hair out and slipped her down jacket on before calling a goodbye to her fathers and starting the walk down to the chalet. The windows were lit by a warm glow from inside as the heavy snow clouds had led to the day growing darker much soon, as she passed the window, she saw the flicker of candles and smiled slightly. Pausing outside the door, she let out a small breath and eventually lifted her hand to knock on the door. Seconds later, it was pulled open and Quinn smiled warmly at her, Rachel smiled back, her face warming as she remembered their kiss last night…then she frowned slightly.

"Quinn…are you okay? You look…_different_?"

Reaching up self-consciously, the blonde ran her hand through her hair and glanced down at her clothes.

"I _think _it's because this shirt might be fairly smart and doesn't have either a sports team or obscure Internet reference printed on it."

Laughing softly, Rachel moved into the little home when Quinn gestured her to. It was indeed clean, warm and softly lit by the scented candles.

"Wow, are you sure your mom's didn't sneak down here and clean for you? And I don't think it's the polo shirt that makes the difference, but it _does _look good on you"

Rolling her eyes at the gentle teasing, Quinn then blushed at the compliment and nudged Rachel's shoulder lightly with her own as they moved towards the sofa.

"Well if it isn't _that _then I don't know what it is, same cologne and deodorant, same place, which I cleaned by myself thank you so very much!"

Rachel giggled again and Quinn smiled happily, she loved it when she could elicit that little giggle from the diva. Suddenly, Rachel gasped and reaching up, touched the blonde's eyebrow.

"Oh gosh Quinn what happened to your eyebrow, you only have _half _of it!"

Reaching up to slap her hand over the eyebrow in question, Quinn paled and groaned slightly.

"_Stupid _gas burner! All I had to do was melt the chocolate and what happened…the stupid gas tap didn't want to light, and when it _did _the build up of gas sort of belched flame out and…crap."

Sighing in disappointment at herself, the blonde sank into the sofa and had to resist the urge to fold her arms and sulk. Rachel smiled softly and turning sideways on the sofa, she leaned over and pressed a kiss to the singed eyebrow in question.

"You didn't have to do anything like that for me, I'm happy just being here with you…and I'm sorry you got hurt Gretzky."

The kiss worked wonders and the sulk died in it's infancy to be replaced with a happy smile.

"Well, I wanted to do something that came from _me _and not just my sister or my parent's. All of whom knew I'd forget to thaw the meals in advance and had planned for it. Speaking of which, I just remembered I have something for you…wait here!"

Rachel just smiled bemusedly as the hockey player leapt over the back of the sofa and into the bedroom for a moment. When she emerged she was holding a small terracotta pot containing a…cactus? The diva cleared her throat and raised a questioning eyebrow as Quinn sat back down on the sofa beside her. Before Rachel could speak, the blonde raised a hand.

"Okay it may seem…unorthodox but let me explain okay?"

Miming a zip being pulled across her lips, the brunette settled back into the sofa cushions and gestured with a hand for Quinn to continue.

"Okay well I initially wanted to buy you some flowers so I went into town first thing this morning. But the problem was I was in there for ages and everything seemed sort of…I don't know, too bright or too gaudy for you. Plus I hated the fact that they would eventually die, I mean it's sort of the first thing I'm giving you as a token of…well you know what I mean. It's my first wooing gift and I didn't want it to not last. Anyway I was about to leave and then I saw these on a stall by the window and I knew it was perfect. See the thing is I always thought these cactuses look like someone with their arms up waiting for a hug, only no one could hug them cos they were way too prickly. Until the one person comes along and _doesn't _feel the prickles when they hug it. Kinda like you and me see? I was all prickly but you…just kinda blasted through my prickles and hugged me!"

Finishing with a hopeful smile, Quinn again proffered the small cactus in it's little pot. This time, Rachel accepted it with a shaking hand and after looking at it through tear- filled eyes she set it on the table and cleared her throat. The hockey player rummaged around for some tissues with a worried frown on her face as she took in the teary expression. Before she could apologise and offer to take it back however, the diva pulled her into a tight hug and whispered.

"Are you sure you've never done this wooing stuff before Gretzky, because you really seem to have quite a gift for it."

Eventually relaxing now she knew she hadn't done anything wrong, Quinn hugged the diva back just as enthusiastically before Rachel eventually pulled back with a little 'O' of surprise. Hastily, she pulled the gift bag from her pocket and handed it over.

"In comparison it's just something silly but…I wanted to bring you something."

Accepting it with a smile, Quinn hastily opened it and laughed happily as she extracted the package of peanut butter cups from inside.

"Believe me Princess this is _far _from silly! This is most definitely the way to my heart."

Rachel watched as Quinn stacked the individual cups happily one on top of the other before setting them to the side. She took Rachel's hands and laced their fingers together, after a moment, the microwave pinged and the blonde sat up.

"Look's like dinner might be ready? Are you feeling brave Princess?"

Rachel smiled softly and standing up she yanked softly on the hand linked with hers.

"Come on Gretzky let's go see if this chocolate mousse was worth you losing half an eyebrow huh?"

Rolling her eyes, Quinn nonetheless let herself be pulled through to the kitchen, as they moved inside, Rachel glanced once more over her shoulder, her eyes softening as she took in the cactus on the little coffee table sitting next to a stack of peanut butter cups. If Quinn could make a _cactus _romantic then she could indeed be the love of the brunette's life. As she turned back and took in the sight of the hockey player carefully serving the warmed meals onto plates, she decided she was more than happy with that.

_Oh and just a brief note of gratitude as always to my wonderful editor and a belated Happy Birthday, she enjoyed the present of this chapter and I hope you do too!_


	12. Chapter 12

_Well I managed to resist writing for a little bit…but must get back into it because the last thing I want to do is lose my creative edge lol. I hope you all had a very merry festive season and enjoyed time with your loved ones? Mine started a bit…hmm let's just say it sucked until I released my inner Santana. But I did get my false moustaches (yeah…long story) as well as the last pieces of Hogwarts Lego I needed to complete the set and the Millennium Falcon. I would like to point out that once you go past the awkward adult stage of getting things you need it's perfectly acceptable to revert to getting toys…honestly even Father Christmas said it was okay! Anyway without further ado I shall continue on with Thin Ice then I think it's on to a little DA2 story that has been swimming around in the back of my mind for a bit! Enjoy you lovey people you xxx_

Despite losing half an eyebrow and managing to crisp the edges of the vegan pad Thai that Quinn had heated up for Rachel, the date went extraordinarily well! The dinner was edible, the dessert turned out to be very nice (not as nice as Santana's but definitely nice) and they managed to find a movie that both of them could agree on. It took a while to get there however, as Quinn favoured comedy and action whereas Rachel was most definitely a drama and romance type of girl. Upon very careful inspection of the hockey player's film collection however, the little diva managed to extricate a hidden copy of Mamma Mia. Despite much blushing and rubbing of the back of her neck, Quinn had eventually agreed that they could watch it. Not that she didn't try and maintain her aura of complete ignorance as to how it had ended up in her movie collection.

"I think it must be Santana's, probably got mixed up with my stuff when I was packing up…I mean I did notice that my copy of Crank is missing so I guess she must have that instead."

Trailing off lamely under the very pointed gaze of the little diva, Quinn flopped down onto the sofa next to her and sighed in resignation.

"Fine…I admit it's mine! Just keep it to yourself okay because I have a…"

Rachel chimed in to end the sentence along with the hockey player, rolling her brown eyes in amusement as she did so.

"Reputation to maintain!"

The hockey player's jaw dropped slightly at the very open teasing of her "tough" persona and reaching out, she poked a finger in the figure skater's side with a smirk.

"Hey…you know me having a bad rep actually helps you out Princess."

While Quinn rummaged down the side of the couch for the errant DVD remote, Rachel arched an eyebrow and pulled her feet up under her in an attempt to get comfortable.

"Oh really and how do you come to that conclusion?"

Frowning in frustration, Quinn dropped to her knees from the sofa and started to fish around underneath it for the remote, having given up on the sofa. She spoke as she searched, oblivious to Rachel's smirk as she noticed the remote sitting quite happily on the small coffee table tucked under a Batwoman comic.

"Um…well think of it like this, if anyone tries to mess with us then they'll hear about how handy I am with my fists and they'll back off. That way no one should bitch you out for skating with…well, with me. Where the bloody hell is that stupid remote!"

Unable to hold back her amusement any longer, the brunette burst into tinkling laughter. Sitting back up, Quinn opened her mouth to ask what exactly was so amusing when she spotted the remote clutched in one of Rachel's hands. Scowling jokingly, the hockey player slapped her hands down onto the sofa on either side of the giggling diva.

"Wrong move Princess…"

Giggles tapering off, Rachel's eyes widened in belated panic as she saw Quinn's hands headed for her ticklish spots. She squealed and tried in vain to wriggle away but the hockey player was too quick for her and soon it was a mix of amusement and helplessness that had the diva squealing as she tried to dodge the unerring accuracy of Quinn's hands.

"I'm so sorry…I promise never to tease you again! You are indeed tough and you chose to pretend to be searching for the remote in an attempt to allow me to ogle your magnificent rear!"

Quinn wasn't sure if it was the speed of the words that had come pouring out of the little diva's mouth that surprised her, or their content. Whichever it was, the hockey player found herself shocked into immobility and in as flash, Rachel had reversed their positions and it was Quinn suddenly lying on her back on the floor. Swallowing with a suddenly dry throat as she became very aware of the very delicate curves that were holding her in place, Quinn tried to think of a safe topic of conversation. Which is why Rachel was so shocked when she moved in for a kiss that the hockey player simultaneously blurted out loudly.

"Haircut!"

Blinking with a mixture of surprise and shock, Rachel sat up and without moving from where she was seated on Quinn's legs, propped her hands on her hips.

"Well…I would like to say I have a clue about what on earth it is you are trying to get at but…I'm drawing a very obvious blank so would you please enlighten me?"

Aware that she was currently skirting the edge of appearing to be completely insane, Quinn blew out a breath and took a moment to order her thoughts before she spoke.

"I was thinking that you should give me some advice on how to have my hair cut tomorrow…because I'm meant to be the guy right? But if I look too much like one then that could cause as much of a reaction as if we both skated in girl clothes."

The earnest and yet slightly awkward speech that spilled from the hockey player's bow shaped lips was endearing and Rachel found herself smiling softly. Realising belatedly the position they were both still in, Rachel flushed and standing up helped Quinn to her feet and they sat back down on the sofa. After a long moment, the diva turned to her partner and laid a soft hand on her denim clad thigh.

"To be honest Quinn, I think once we get out there and perform, people wouldn't care if we were skating dressed as giraffes because all they will see is you and me kicking ass."

Despite her nerves that were frayed into several dozen pieces, the blonde ducked her head shyly and grinned.

"Well, I see, you always know the right thing to say, you know that Princess?"

Shrugging airily, Rachel sat back and keeping Quinn's hand in hers, tugged on it lightly until they were leaning into each other. Suddenly, the hockey player felt inordinately awkward and all those films Santana had forced her to sit through where the guy faked a yawn so he could put his arm around the girl came back to her with clarity. Flicking a sideways glance at Rachel while she started the movie up, Quinn only hesitated for another minute before she decided on a course of action, after all it would be a lame move to make and everybody knew that Quinn Fabray didn't make lame moves so hopefully it would just look natural. Rachel was debating about whether or not to reach for one of Quinn's hands and pull it over her shoulder when she saw the blonde move a hand to her mouth to stifle a yawn.

It occurred to her that if figure skating didn't work out for the hockey player that she should definitely not consider acting as a fallback. The very bad fake yawn was accompanied by a stretch and Rachel had to bite on her lip to muffle the amusement. _Surely she isn't going to do the fake stretch into arm on the back of the sofa move is she? _She had to bite on her lower lip even harder when she realised that yes indeed, that is what Quinn was about to do. Sure enough, the hockey player's hoody encased arm thumped down gently onto the back of the sofa before falling lightly across the diva's shoulders. Flicking her brown eyes briefly towards the blonde, Rachel's heart melted slightly at the look of vulnerability visible in hazel eyes. She looked over when Quinn groaned slightly and winced.

"Okay…that really is a lame ass move no matter how it's performed isn't it?"

Reaching over her own shoulder, Rachel took hold of Quinn's slightly shaking hand and pulled it until it was safely resting on her collarbone. Smiling, she leant into the blonde and let out a breath she wasn't aware she was holding, when she felt Quinn relax and rest her chin on the crown of the diva's head.

"Well yeah…but I find it oddly enchanting that you're so shy…I mean it's not because of me is it? I mean I know I'm nothing like the other girls you've been with…"

She felt Quinn's strong arms gently manoeuvring her until she could look up into concerned hazel eyes. After a moment of nervous lip chewing (Rachel really had to find a way to break her of that habit), the hockey player spoke.

"I…never meant for you to think that Princess because nothing could be further from the truth. The real issue is that…well I mean, it _is_ because you aren't like the other girls but in a good way not a bad way. I never even knew their address, hell with some I didn't even know their first names let alone their surnames."

For the first time, she felt a pang in her chest as she saw the quickly masked pain and concern in the brown eyes regarding her. Clearing her throat, she carried on trying to explain.

"I'm really bad at this, talking I mean. The reason I get nervous around you is because you are amazingly gorgeous, in the same way as the cactus…because it's something that won't ever wither and die? Ya know and it's like you have the kind of beauty that won't ever fade because it comes from within."

Keeping her eyes on Quinn, Rachel pulled the hockey player's hand down so she could kiss the scarred knuckles lightly and waited for her to continue as she obviously had more to say.

"And it scares me that I both want you and am scared of you at the same time. I want you because well…to be honest I'm falling in love with you pretty hard and really damn fast and I can't seem to stop or slow down. I've always just gone for what I want but with you I want what you want more than I want what I want."

She finished with a small smile that rapidly transformed into a sigh when she realised (not unexpectedly) that she hadn't managed to get across her point. Reaching up with her free hand to rub the back of her neck in that familiar manner, she scrunched her nose in thought and tried again.

"What I mean is, you take the physical aspect of being in love very seriously, and while I never have, I know how much it means to you and I'm willing to do the same. So it's sometimes very hard for me to…calm myself when I'm around you but I respect your beliefs and I don't intend to pressure you for anything."

Realising belatedly what exactly Quinn was getting at, Rachel sat up abruptly and her eyes widened.

"Quinn! You,…you mean that you _don't _want to have sex?"

Trying not to feel too hurt by the disbelief in the little diva's voice, Quinn fidgeted in her seat and rubbed the back of her neck so hard she would be surprised if it didn't bruise.

"Well technically _yes _I want to but not until you're ready, whenever that is."

Unsure of Quinn's actual understanding when it came to her beliefs about sex, Rachel chewed lightly on her upper lip for a moment before speaking carefully. She was fairly sure that after this conversation Quinn may well change her mind about the whole thing, and as much as it would hurt her, it would hurt her more to let things carry on further if they were at cross purposes.

"Quinn…I know that you want to do what's right for me, but you are aware that when it comes to sex I am committed to not sleeping with anyone until I am married?"

Expecting shocked widened eyes and stammered apologies and, perhaps even outright scorn, she was therefore taken aback when the hockey player just half smiled and nodded with a small shrug.

"I know, that's what I meant by saying it's kinda difficult for me."

Upon realising the implications of that, it was Rachel's own eyes that widened and she looked carefully into Quinn's hazel eyed ones. Swallowing, she decided she just had to clarify things, if only for her own peace of mind.

"That means you're…?"

Despite the nerves that had her stomach trying to rumba at the same time as her kidneys wanted to tango, Quinn smiled and nodded softly as she took the diva's hand back into hers.

"I'm sorry I didn't clarify this before but yeah, I'm in this for the long run princess, marriage, kids, the whole nine yards. So long as you can put up with me while I work out how this whole relationship thing works?"

It was one of those very rare times when Rachel Barbra Berry was rendered completely speechless. So instead of talking, she just leaned into the hockey player and cupping her face gently between her small hands, she placed the softest kiss against Quinn's lips which still tasted faintly of root beer.

"Not only will I put up with you, I will make sure you pass each and every test with flying colours, not that you seem to need it. Now let's snuggle up and watch this film you keep pretending you don't own shall we?"

Rolling her eyes, Quinn nonetheless sat back and happily pulled the diva into the circle of her arms before pressing play. Despite her rather over exercised libido, she found that just sitting and holding someone while watching a movie was just as if not more satisfying than a quick romp. In fact, despite remaining fully clothed there wasn't one minute of the movie where they weren't touching each other somehow and instead of the pure simplicity of an orgasm, she actually felt loved. After the movie ended, Quinn insisted on walking Rachel home even though it was within line of sight of her own. As they walked, they kept their fingers laced together and talked idly about the next day's last minute preparation. When they reached the doorstep, Quinn paused and this time it was with a giddy grin on her face and the feeling that she really didn't want the evening to be over with. Rachel looked back at her and smiled fondly.

"What's with the daft grin Gretzky?"

Shrugging lightly, the hockey player tucked her hands into her back pockets and then leant on the marble pillar of the porch.

"I suppose it's the fact I just spent the evening with a really amazing woman, and I feel sort of…well I _suppose _I'd have to call it giddy. And normally giddy is just something I don't do, but around you I seem to do a lot of things I don't normally do."

Smiling just as happily, Rachel moved closer and rested her hands on Quinn's hips.

"Well that's strange because I seem to be having the same dilemma when I'm around you."

Straightening up from her position against the pillar, Quinn let her own hands slide around the diva's waist to link at the small of her back. She was just leaning in for a chaste goodnight kiss when Rachel spoke in a bare whisper against the hockey player's lips.

"For the record Gretzky, I'm falling in love with you too."

Quinn's surprised breath was cut off as Rachel closed the remaining millimetres between the two of them and kissed the blonde. Having decided she had been shy enough that night, Quinn used her linked hands on the small of Rachel's back to gently pull her closer and deepen the kiss. To her surprise, the little diva let her hands move from the hockey player's hips and into the back pockets of her frayed jeans where she returned the gesture and urged them closer together. As one set of very aware nipples brushed against another, groans were released in stereo and, who knows where the kiss may or may not have led because at that fairly inopportune moment, two throats cleared themselves.

Quinn moved so fast she surprised herself, faster than the time the basketball coach had walked into her office and found her star point guard deflowering the student teacher on her desk. It would have worked as well if she had taken the time to remember that Rachel had slipped her hands into her back pockets. Instead, the diva ended up stumbling along with her as they tried to extricate themselves to finally face Rachel's two (highly amused but hiding it well) fathers. Managing to stand straight finally, Quinn shoved her hands into her jeans pockets and tried her best not to look as though she had been caught making out with Rachel. The diva herself however had no such compunction and she lightly slugged her father in the shoulder and scowled.

"Very funny daddy! I hope you got your quota of amusement from that because it won't be happening again. I happen to be more than old enough to date whomever I want to and you have no right to stand there and scare the dickens out of Quinn!"

Frowning slightly, Quinn rubbed the back of her neck and mumbled.

"I wasn't scared, just surprised."

Rachel paused and turned on her heel to direct a very pointed glare towards the mumbling hockey player. That look told Quinn that now was perhaps not the time to interrupt Rachel in the middle of one of her rants and she mimed zipping her lip. She saw Hiram smother a laugh and Leroy try his hardest not to grin when they saw Quinn do that. They both blanked their faces remarkably fast when Rachel whirled back around on them.

"Now is there a reason for your over protective father routine?"

Hiram just shrugged and rolling his eyes, Leroy spoke in a conciliatory way as he held his hands up.

"It wasn't intended sweetheart, we heard voices but no one was knocking on the door so we came out to see who it was."

Hiram nodded and picked up the narrative with a grin that made Quinn flush and Rachel glare.

"And instead of finding a nervous door to door salesman or a late food delivery, we find you two. With your tongues so far down each other throats you can probably taste each others' dinners."

Leroy barked a laugh while Hiram grinned, right up until the moment Rachel stomped her foot in that tried and tested diva style before scooping up a handful of snow and launching it at her smirking fathers. They both yelped and scurried away before their eyes narrowed in glee. Ten seconds later, Rachel grabbed Quinn's hand and pulled her behind a tree before a flurry of snowballs smacked into the bark behind them. After a moment of disorientation, the hockey player grinned and bending down, started fashioning snowballs and piling them in Rachel's arms.

"We're not going to let a couple of guys beat the best team ever to hit the ice are we Princess?"

Giggling delightedly at the ease with which Quinn had settled into the impromptu Berry snowball fight extravaganza, the brunette started hurling the completed icy spheres at the older men who were using the pillars of the porch as shielding.

"You got that right Gretzky, let's show them how it's done!"

There followed a brief but furious and highly amusing snowball fight, amusing because at one point Hiram managed to lose a shoe and Quinn tripped over her own feet when her jeans started slipping. An hour later, all four of them were seated in front of the fire in the kitchen while they dried out. Rachel had changed into sweats and loaned Quinn some as the two men happily leaned into each other and remarked smugly that taking the time to wear waterproof clothing always paid off in the end. The hockey player smirked slightly and shook her head as she sipped at the rich and very welcome cocoa that Hiram had made for them all. She stifled a yawn and glanced at the clock on the wall before deciding that she ought to make a move. Draining her mug, she nudged Rachel gently with an elbow and when she had the diva's attention she smiled softly.

"I better make a move, Will wants us at the stylists' first thing to sort out my hair then it's final costume fittings and dress rehearsal. As it's our first performance, I don't want to drop you or fall on my ass so sleep is kinda essential."

Stifling a yawn of her own, Rachel nodded sleepily and leaning across stole a perfectly chaste and perfectly awesome kiss with the hockey player. Aware of Hiram and Leroy trying not to watch, Quinn couldn't help but smile into the kiss and nip lightly at Rachel's lower lip as the diva sat back. Hiram cleared his throat and stood up as well.

"Come on then Quinn, I'll walk you back; it's gotten pretty dark out there now."

The hockey player shook her head and started to protest before realising what he actually meant.

"No it's fine I have a flashlight on my keychain and…oh, right okay yeah um…sure I'd like the company I guess?"

Recognising this as the dreaded 'don't mess with my daughter' speech, Quinn swallowed but nonetheless accepted his hand up and exchanged one last hug and kiss with Rachel before wishing her goodnight. Despite the very pointed glare the diva directed at her dad, she knew that he wouldn't be too hard on Quinn, after all they both liked her. For her part, the blonde stayed quiet with her hands buried deep inside the ski jacket Leroy had loaned her for the walk back. After a few moments of silence, she couldn't stand it any longer and glanced across at the man with a sigh,

"So…is this where you threaten to castrate me or something if I ever hurt Rachel? Because I can promise you that I would rather hurt myself than put her through any pain, and if it's about um…the physical stuff, well we talked about that tonight actually. I know she wants to wait until a proper commitment is made and I support her one hundred percent. I don't want to push or rush her into anything she isn't comfortable with."

At the lack of reaction, Quinn trailed off and returned her eyes to the hard packed snow under her booted feet wondering if she had said the right or the wrong thing. Eventually, the man beside her chuckled slightly and laid a hand on her shoulder, despite knowing he wasn't going to do anything, Quinn couldn't quite help the instinctive cringe and he swiftly removed it.

"Sorry…I didn't mean to startle you Quinn. I have to admit that at first I was rather worried about how you would reconcile Rachel's beliefs regarding sex with your own, somewhat, looser ones."

Noticing the slight flinch at that comment, Hiram rushed on.

"I don't mean that in a bad way it's just that…you do have a bit of a reputation when it comes to women. However, watching the way you are with Rachel over the past few days, I realise that the physical aspect of your relationship is a matter that should remain between the two of you and despite our initial fears, you have both acted extremely sensibly. That actually wasn't what I wanted to talk to you about though I will set your mind at ease right now by saying you make Rachel happier than I have ever seen her and we hope things work out because we like you Quinn. We would be proud to have you as part of the family so don't let that bother you anymore okay?"

Nodding ever so slightly, they walked in silence for a while and Quinn basked in the glow of an unexpected acceptance. Eventually however, something occurred to her and frowning she muttered.

"Um…so if it wasn't for that, then…?"

Hiram smiled slightly and slowed his steps as they were close to Quinn's chalet now, turning to face her he wondered what the best way to word this would be.

"I wanted to warn you actually…and before you panic, it's nothing to do with your relationship. It's about what you might face when you arrive at your first competition, figure skating isn't like any other sport. The skaters themselves are as close to prima donnas' as you can get outside of the theatre. Rachel is…known among them as the best that never was, they all know she has the talent to go for gold in every major competition including the winter Olympics. But she blew it, she fell from grace when that bastard Jesse St. James tried to seduce her and throw her off her game…right before breaking up their skating partnership and going on to win gold in the same competition she crashed out of. There will be a lot of talk Quinn, and I want you to accomplish what will be the hardest thing - ignore it."

As the blonde's hazel eyes widened in disbelief, he held up a hand to halt the protests he could see were coming and carried on.

"These people will want a reaction from you, from you more than her because if you react then they get more than you will intend to give them. Let Rachel handle things, she knows how to deal with these assholes. You guys can skate amazingly well, more so than any partnership that has come along in forever. But if you let those bitches on the ice get under your skin, it will throw off your performance and worse, give rise to speculation about the nature of the relationship between you and Rachel. That is going to happen anyway because they know you are gay, you have never hidden it and the papers have been onto it already. Just let it wash over you Quinn and concentrate on the performance…okay?"

Running both hands through her hair, the hockey player let out a long stream of breath and then barked a short laugh.

"And I thought locker room gossip was bad in hockey!"

At that, Hiram laughed as well and patted her on the back.

"You can do this Quinn, just remember that and the rest will be easy. Now go get some sleep and think about how you want your hair done, personally I think a just off the shoulders shaped cut would suit you but go with what you think."

Pausing in her doorway, Quinn smirked and leant on the frame before joking.

"You don't think a buzz cut will work then?"

After pretending to faint from shock for a moment, Hiram shook his head fondly and started to wander back up to the house once he was sure Quinn was safely inside. Behind the door, the blonde let her forehead rest on the cool wood of the door and sighed.

"Time to dig out those books on temper control Santana brought me."

The next day was rushed and yet relaxed at the same time, with no training schedule to stick to, they felt much less restricted time- wise. However. what they did have to get done was time consuming enough, just in a different way. The first half of the morning was taken up with the hairdressers' appointments, Rachel just needed a trim and some feathering done whereas Quinn and Will ended up in a heated debate about how short exactly Quinn should have her hair cut. Eventually they came to an agreement and the hockey player ended up with a cut similar to the one Hiram had suggested the previous evening. It was shorter than the blonde had wanted but longer than Will had intended. Rachel had been no help whatsoever as she was too busy enjoying her girlfriend (god she loved using that word) arguing.

When that was over, they returned to the costumiers for a final fitting. Luckily, the guys had done such a good job since their last visit that no more adjustments were needed. Quinn tried not to cringe at the tighter-than-she-would-really-like 'trousers' and Rachel in return, did her best not to laugh at that very same expression. Once that was finally done and dusted, the three headed back to the rink and after some encouragement, Quinn agreed to a run- through of the main routine in full costume. Rachel had put her costume on but hadn't done her hair the same way that it would be for the actual competition as that would have taken too long. She was skating and humming to herself when she finally heard the reluctant blonde make her way onto the ice. As she looked up, she found that her breath got stuck on the way out. Quinn looked…well she looked for all the world like the handsome man the Phantom would have been if not for his deformed face.

It was perhaps odd for Rachel to think of someone as feminine as Quinn as handsome but the costume had been designed specifically to emphasise the more androgynous features that Quinn possessed and mask the more feminine ones. Therefore with the billowing shirt managing to quite effectively hide the gentle swell of the blonde's breasts and the trousers cut to show off her muscular rear, she did indeed look handsome. Smiling shyly, Rachel skated over to meet her partner in the middle of the ice and catching the quickly masked look of insecurity, she caught one calloused hand gently.

"You look amazing Quinn, incredibly handsome and definitely swoon worthy."

The comment worked and the worry cleared from hazel eyes before the hockey player straightened up and into their starting position. Gracefully, she lifted the diva's hand and kissed the knuckles gently with a half bow.

"And you make the most wonderful Christine."

They remained in their odd courtly position before a throat cleared itself pointedly. Rolling both their eyes in fond exasperation of their coach's timing, the two skaters straightened and move back to their starting positions. The first note sounded and they moved effortlessly not just into their routine but into what both of them had begun to think of as their 'roles' - Rachel became Christine and Quinn became the Phantom, both of them skating around and with each other as though they were the only ones the performance were for. Will watched the whole thing carefully and although he had his hyper-critical head on in view of their rapidly approaching competition, even he could see that nothing was wrong with it, there was not one flaw in the performance. And although he couldn't put his finger on what they had added to it, he could now see what Quinn meant before when she had said there was something missing.

After a vigorous round of applause and a run through of the mandatory routine as well, he declared them more than ready for the competition. After that, he forced them to say goodnight there and then and while Rachel trudged her way back into the house and the care of her fathers after a much shorter goodbye kiss than she had intended, Quinn was dragged off by Will who insisted that he would prepare their evening meal and oversee her packing for the weekend. Although he would never admit it (for fear of losing one or even both kneecaps), he actually wanted to make sure the two got enough rest instead of chatting or texting all night. So despite the fact that he had to endure a barrage of swearing from Quinn when he took her phone and hid it, he was happy in the knowledge that the two of them would definitely have enough rest that night.

The next morning, the car was loaded up swiftly enough and Quinn and Rachel slid into the back seat while Will by default ended up as the driver. He worked out early on that there was no way he had to worry about the two of them getting into an argument on the way there and so he put the CD player on and decided to leave them to their conversation. In an effort to try and keep Quinn from freaking out at the prospect of their first competition, Rachel had decided to play an impromptu game of twenty questions. The hockey player was reluctant at first but when the diva slid her sneakers off to run her socked toes up and down Quinn's leg soothingly, she relented and soon they were engaged in their game. So much so that it took them a while to realise they were pulling up outside the rink where the competition was being held. As the valets arrived to take away their bags, the two skaters emerged from the car and Quinn rubbed the back of her neck reflexively. She felt a squeeze on her other hand and glanced across to find Rachel smiling reassuringly.

"We'll be fine, it's not as bad as you might think. Just let what these idiots say go over your head and remember that there are very few friendships in the world of figure skating. Stick by my side."

Suddenly finding herself very much the beginner amongst a crowd of experts, Quinn swallowed down the nerves she wasn't used to and nodded loosely. She hated the way she longed for Rachel to continue holding her hand, especially when she understood why they couldn't. Instead, she put her hands in her back pockets and followed the diva into the main reception hall. As Rachel and Will started issuing the orders and requests, she just tried to take in the surroundings without looking too much like a tourist. There were dozens of skaters milling around and as Rachel had indicated most of them were sticking to their partners and only their partners. She recognised a few from the competitions she used to watch with her mom and that made her feel a little better, she was so busy taking in the surroundings that she didn't even realise someone had moved up next to her until they spoke.

"Well, well so the rumours were true then? Berry is back and with a new…partner."

Despite Rachel and Hiram's advice, Quinn felt her jaw stiffen angrily at the supercilious tone this guy was using and turned to look him full in the face. She knew immediately from the hand on hip pose and smug arrogant smile topped with slightly wavy dark brown hair, that this was the infamous Jesse and she raised an eyebrow coolly.

"Yes, she is back and skating better than she ever did with anyone else, you included St James."

Tossing his head back, he laughed brightly and then abruptly sobered and narrowed his eyes.

"Don't try to cross swords with me! You are nothing more than a sideshow attraction here, something that was whispered about on the skating rumour mill. None of us actually believed it to be honest, I mean a same sex skating partnership in a mainstream competition?"

Folding her arms over her chest angrily, Quinn managed to keep her voice level as she replied.

"Well maybe you should have paid a little more attention to rumour then, because while you have been busy sniggering like a twelve year old boarding school boy who just glimpsed the school nurse's boob, we have been putting together a routine that you wouldn't be able to match even on your best day."

Jesse mirrored her pose now, arms crossed and eyes narrowed.

"Talk is cheap Fabray…just like the women you seem to prefer but then I guess that's what happens when you come from a welfare family."

Oh that was _it_! Insult her and she could handle it but insult her family? This asshole was going down. Before she could take more than one step forward however, she felt a small hand resting in the hollow of her back (whilst simultaneously holding her back by the belt round her jeans) and she relaxed. It was Rachel that spoke in a sickeningly sweet tone that Quinn had never heard before.

"Jesse what a…dubious pleasure it is to run into you. I see your technique hasn't changed - cheap shots and mental warfare designed to disrupt someone's performance. It's pitiful really that you have such a lack of faith in your own abilities that you have to resort to game playing."

Quinn felt her eyebrow raise in appreciation and perhaps a touch of surprise at Rachel's response and she felt a smile flicker across her lips as she saw the flash of rage in Jesse St Jerk's eyes.

"At least I'm not treating this competition like a joke, I mean really Rachel, couldn't you find a _real _skating partner?"

Quinn tensed again until she felt the ever so slight tug on her belt and despite the feeling of being controlled, she remembered Hiram's advice to let Rachel handle things and forced herself to relax.

"You won't be saying that when you see her on the ice Jesse, in fact you won't be saying anything as your jaw will be on the floor, stunned by our brilliance."

Snorting slightly, the irritating man flicked his hair back with one hand and looked Quinn up and down in a way designed to make her feel uncomfortable. To the blonde's annoyance it worked and she found herself grinding her teeth and glad that Rachel had a firm enough hold on her to keep her out of jail.

"Whatever you say Berry…and I suppose that you might just get away with it, she _does _after all have rather a masculine frame, almost like a pre-op transsexual."

Rachel instinctively tightened her grip on Quinn's belt and immediately stepped forward so she was level with the hockey player and could hold her more firmly by locking her arm around her as well. Narrowing her eyes but maintaining her sweet tone, the little diva tilted her head to one side and pouted mockingly.

"Ah Jesse are you still smarting over the fact all the reviewers refer to you as the Peter Pan of the ice skating world? We all know you managed to lose very girl you ever had to Puckerman, the Stud of the Ice World…I guess that stings so much you have to deflect somehow. Let me just reassure you that while Quinn is skating the traditionally male roles in our partnership, she is definitely all female. Now if you don't mind I need to go and do something to get the smell out of you out of my nostrils…like take a shit."

Smiling pleasantly, she whirled on her feet and tugged on Quinn's belt one last time to silently urge her to follow. Caught between wanting to savour the look of goldfish- mouthed surprise on the smug jerk's face and wanting to get away from him, Quinn hesitated. She smirked at him when he caught her eye and before he could say anything else, she caught up with Rachel just as the elevator doors were closing. Luckily they were on their own as two seconds after they started their ascent, both skaters cracked up and Quinn pulled Rachel to her hugging her proudly.

"Holy hell Princess you blasted him away down there! And you even swore, you _never _swear!"

Smiling happily, the brunette shrugged in the circle of Quinn's arms and reaching up pressed a kiss to the tip of her nose.

"I do swear occasionally…but as you can see when one does something rarely it carries more impact on the occasions they do use it."

Letting out a breath, Quinn reached up and tucked a loose strand of gently curling dark blonde hair behind an elfin ear. Breathing out, she uttered something that she had never said to another woman.

"You are honestly the most amazing woman I have ever met, I was ready to rip that guy a new asshole and you just…you cut him off at the knees more effectively than I ever could. And you did it without risking jail time…but what's more amazing is that you did it for me."

Aware of the slight catch in her throat at the end of the sentence, Quinn cleared it self- consciously and tried to look away. Rachel wouldn't allow her however and reaching up with one hand, deftly caught the strong jaw line and turned it so they were eye to eye again.

"Gretzky…even if I weren't falling for you I wouldn't let him talk to you like that, ever. You come from a good family, I've met them and despite who gave birth to you or raised you, Lily and Sofia are your parents and Dave and Santana your siblings. You have a far better family than that jerk. And you are sexy as hell, don't let what he said make you think otherwise."

Relaxing under the gentle touch of the smaller tanned hands, Quinn nodded slowly and hearing the ping for their floor, stopped to steal a quick kiss before they separated.

"You got it Princess…but next time I really want to hit him, just once, a little discreet one that no one will be able to link back to me I promise."

Rolling her eyes, Rachel led the way to their adjoining rooms and handing Quinn her key card tried her best to look disapproving.

"Nope, not even a little hit, we save that anger for the ice and then use it to show him what real figure skating looks like. Now go unpack, we'll grab some lunch and then head out to the ice for a practice this afternoon, and you can meet the rest of the competitors."

Dashing off a sloppy salute, Quinn did her best to make the heels of her sneakers click together military style.

"Ma'am yes ma'am!"

Giggling as she agilely avoided the sideways kick Rachel aimed at her backside, Quinn darted into her room and found she was feeling much happier than she expected to after an encounter like the one they had just had. The little diva apparently really was a genius when it came to dealing with bitchy prima donnas'! Shaking her head slightly, Quinn dug out the pair of NYPD sweats that her mom had given her and changed into them before pulling out her figure skates and sliding them into the kit bag. After some rummaging in the supplies Will had sent them up with, she extricated a bottle of Gatorade and some energy bars adding them to the bag as well as a towel. Ten minutes later, Rachel knocked on the door and was standing there in a pair of NYFD sweats that she had managed to obtain from Quinn. The two looked at each other and laughed lightly before heading down to the dining hall.

As they took their seats they noticed several other skaters also in sweats or similar training clothes. Some smiled over almost pleasantly, a few even waved vaguely in Rachel's direction, for her part Quinn kept her head down and browsed through the sandwich choices despondently.

"I know we're all athletes but would a little red meat kill them?"

Rachel chuckled slightly at the mild look of horror on Quinn's face at the disgustingly healthy selections the menu offered.

"I'm sure if you ask they can whip you up a steak sandwich Gretzky, though how you can eat a slab of meat like that is beyond me."

Quinn smirked back with a wink and was on the verge of making an obscene comment when a voice sounded from behind her and she stiffened. She had no idea who it was but she did _not _like their tone, that was for sure.

"Hey baby Jew! How you doing?, I missed you being around because no one else has the good energy bars with them!"

Glancing to Rachel, she was half relieved and half curious when she saw the genuine sparkle of pleasure in the brown eyes. Whoever this was, was obviously a friend and so Quinn forced herself to relax and waited until the speaker came into view. As soon as he did, she raised an eyebrow in mild surprise and fought down the tiny stab of jealousy as Rachel wrapped her arms around him in a hug.

"Noah! It's fantastic to see you again too! Though I'm surprised you haven't been thrown off the circuit by now if half of the tales I've heard about you are true."

Quinn watched the muscular looking guy with the unusual mohawk hairstyle grin and lift Rachel up in a hug before setting her back down in her chair. He was tall, topping six foot easily, well muscled and obviously played football at some point given the wide shoulders. She tried not to act too much like the jealous girlfriend as she watched him pull up a chair and join them.

"Me cause rumours? Now you know that isn't like me…you on the other hand have had the rumour mill working so hard I'm surprised it hasn't broken! And all of it concerning your breaking off of the engagement with Hudson and of course the unusual choice of skating partners."

Propping his elbow on the table, he rested his chin in his hand and smiled over at Quinn. For a long moment, the two of them regarded each other until the blonde cleared her throat.

"Quinn is my name, I'd kinda like you to use it when talking about me."

Grinning widely, the man offered his other hand and winked slightly.

"Noah Puckerman though most people refer to me as just Puck, in fact only my baby Jew here get's to call me Noah. It's nice to meet you, I'm hoping that as you aren't from a figure skating background that you aren't out to just hurt Rach like that asshole St. James."

It wasn't quite a question but Quinn found herself nodding anyway as a small smile crept across her face. This guy may act like a douche but he obviously cared for Rachel and given the diva's reaction to him, the feeling was mutual. This, therefore must be one of the rare good guys so she relaxed and glancing over to Rachel, was happy to see that shy smile in place.

"Nope I'm here so we can kick some ass and remind everyone just _how _talented Rachel Berry is."

Reaching out with a clenched fist, Puck waited until Quinn bumped it with her own before slapping his leg and exclaiming.

"Now _that's _what I'm talking about! Rach seriously, where was this one several years ago, she's a keeper!"

Quinn found herself blushing, even more so when she felt the diva's smaller hands encase her own larger one and stroke softly with her thumb.

"I know, believe me I know…now enough distraction' tell me _exactly _how many of the rumours I have heard about you are true!"

Grinning widely and rubbing his hands together, Puck did just that. As a consequence, Quinn found herself listening to tales of conquests that rivalled hers! Over dinner she quickly found herself liking the tall mohawked boy and could see that despite his tall tales that made Rachel blush and squirm occasionally, he obviously cared a great deal for the little diva. And that was something that most definitely served to endear him further in Quinn's eyes. All too soon however, the dishes were taken away and Puck was checking his watch with a sigh.

"Right, guess it's time to get ready to get on the ice and scope out the competition. Good luck out there you guys, the compulsories are pretty basic Quinn and if Rachel is skating with you then I know you'll nail it."

Unaware that her growing nerves were visible to anyone but Rachel, Quinn scowled instinctively and folded her arms. Luckily, Puck was a good judge of emotion and like his shorter female Jewish counterpart seemed to have the ability to read the blonde without too much effort. Sighing slightly, he reached over and ruffled the blonde hair with a smirk.

"Don't pout, you'll get lines, now go and show that idiot St. James and the rest of them just what they're up against…and don't worry about being nervous, even I get nervous and I've been doing this for years."

Smiling despite herself, Quinn aimed a sideways playful kick at the muscular boy, he smirked and easily dodged it before kissing the crown of Rachel's brunette head and dashing off. Helping Rachel to her feet, Quinn led the way to the rink attached to the hotel where Will was waiting with their kit bags and a huge grin. Quinn raised an eyebrow and glanced at Rachel who looked just as dubious as to the reason behind their coach's glee.

"This is not good, he's smirking and we don't know why…do you think he's signed us up for some kind of charity thing where we're going to have to dress like Jigglypuff and Wigglypuff?"

Rachel's mouth which was open and about to shoot off a reply suddenly snapped closed and she looked at the hockey player quizzically.

"What on _earth _is a Jiggly or indeed Wigglypuff?"

Sighing dramatically, Quinn threw her hands out to the sides and bemoaned.

"Why must I be surrounded by non gamers, by…what we in the gaming world call…noobs!"

She swiftly ducked the hand that was aimed at her head to lightly cuff her and giggled before ducking behind Will.

"Hey now, no beating up your partner before a competition!"

Will just let the two of them keep up their back and forth for a moment, smiling softly at the change in both women over the past few weeks. Rachel was becoming more like the young woman she should be while Quinn had calmed down immeasurably. Finally, he stepped between them and gently held them apart.

"Right, if you two have quite finished then shall we get onto the ice and see what the competition looks like. Rachel you'll be glad to hear that all the old regulars here, Chang, Hummel, St. James and of course Puckerman."

The brunette diva nodded and reached to pick her bag up, not before Quinn however who picked both kit bags up and hooked them over her shoulders with a grin. Smiling slightly at the old world chivalry, Rachel followed Will beside Quinn and translated.

"Tina Chang, really good technical skater but not so good when it comes to adding personal flair. Nice enough though, definitely one of the ones you can talk to! St. James you know so we won't go over _that _again. Hummel is…an unknown quantity, he tends to keep to himself and values his privacy; he also has a wicked tongue on him but doesn't unleash it unless provoked. My advice there would be to treat him carefully until you know where you stand with him."

Quinn nodded and felt like she should be taking notes on this or she was inevitably going to upset the wrong person. Swallowing down the nervous flipping in her stomach, she closed her eyes for a moment and let out a breath. Rachel smiled sympathetically, although she had been competing for as long as she could remember, she vividly recalled her own nerves at the first one she had gone to. Placing a hand briefly on the small of the hockey player's back, she waited till the hazel eyes swivelled towards her and then smiled reassuringly. She sighed in relief when Quinn smiled back and seemed to relax slightly. Guiltily, she tried to tune into the background babble that Coach Schue's voice had become, smirking, Quinn leant down close enough to murmur.

"He's excited because of the judge selection, someone named Shelby Corcoran is head judge and that's a good thing?"

Rachel smiled slightly and leant back in towards Quinn.

"They're old friends, she used to skate herself apparently, though never at this level of competition."

The hockey player nodded and they made their way over to their designated area for practice. Quinn grinned as she saw their names on the bench then quickly smothered it before she marked herself clearly as a 'noob' when it came to figure skating. Trying to concentrate was difficult however as even as she bent down to lace her skates, her attention was on the ice and the dozens of skating partnerships whizzing around. She was so engrossed that she wasn't even aware she had managed to tie her thumb into the bow until she went to move it, flushing and muttering under her breath she finally got it loose and retied the lace before straightening up. Rachel was waiting for her at the edge of the rink, leaning on the barrier and watching the others attentively.

After clomping down to meet her, the brunette turned and started pointing out the various skaters she had been referring to before. Tina was a pretty Asian girl with very good form, Hummel was a slightly effeminate man with a slight stature, he seemed polite enough on the ice but his smile never quite reached his eyes. Eventually, they made their own way onto the ice and the reaction was instantaneous as most of the others stopped to watch as Rachel Berry skated onto a competitive rink for the first time in years (even though it was just a practice session). Quinn swallowed audibly and found all her concentration taken up as she tried not to throw up the soup and salad they had just eaten. Rachel took Quinn's hand and placed it on her hip gently murmuring under her breath so only the blonde would hear.

"It's fine…they were bound to be curious, just do your best to ignore them and keep your gaze locked on me. We'll run through the compulsory steps okay?"

Not wanting to speak just in case she squeaked, the blonde just nodded and letting out a shaky breath kept her eyes firmly fixed on Rachel's…and miraculously began to relax. Behind them, they heard Will counting them off and as he reached zero they moved off together and Quinn found it was remarkably easy to let the various eager onlookers fade into the background of her mind so she could concentrate on the moves she needed to. Will was very aware of the eyes following the progress of his two skaters, almost as aware as he was of Quinn's nerves. However whatever Rachel had said to her seemed to be working as they were moving together flawlessly. He was gratified when he saw Jesse and his coach engaged in a heated debate as they watched the two women move fluidly from jump to lift to spin and back again. After two run through's they skated back over slightly out of breath and he slung an arm around each of their shoulders happily.

"You guys are…well, you're going to make an old clapped out coach very proud tomorrow! And we have both your outfits ready, the one for the compulsory routine arrived this morning and before you panic Quinn, your's is just the same black trousers but with a more fitted blouse in black and silver. Rachel your dress for that one is midnight blue with silver. You're going to look fantastic guys!"

Quinn grinned easily for the first time, right up until she felt Rachel stiffen, glancing over, she noticed the diva's eyes locked on a swiftly moving figure headed towards them and she tried not to react as Hummel skated to a stop in front of them both. For a moment, he just looked at them quietly and then smiled slightly with a nod.

"Good to have you back Berry, you guys look good out there but I guess you know that huh?"

There was no malice in his voice and so Rachel smiled softly in return and inclined her head ever so slightly.

"Thank you Kurt, it's nice to be back and it's nice to hear someone else is happy too."

He smiled again and glanced at Quinn eyeing her up and down, feeling slightly defensive, she stood taller and ever so slightly moved in front of Rachel. Kurt's smile only softened and he spoke carefully with his eyes moving between the both of them.

"Well, I should get back but I just wanted to say welcome back. And look if you hear anyone making snide comments about the fact that it's two women skating together…well just remember it's the results that count and that some of us are…humbled by your bravery."

Before either woman could reply, he skated off and back towards his own little corner, Quinn looked at Rachel and arched an eyebrow.

"Bravery?"

Rachel just smiled softly.

"I _think _we have an ally, and I think maybe our skating together may attract positive as well as negative press. However, for now I want to get back to my room, soak for about an hour then curl up and watch some idiotic and fluffy romance flick until I fall asleep…want to join me?"

Hazel eyes almost popped out of their socket's at that gentle question and Quinn proceeded to choke on her mouthful of Gatorade. Rachel banged her on the back until the red- faced hockey player was heaving in breaths gratefully.

"I uh…should have clarified that I meant to ask if you want to join me for the _movie_…not the bath. Sorry, I didn't realise you'd choke, are you okay?"

Still struggling for breath and trying very hard not to think about Rachel submerged in a hot tub covered by nothing but a layer of bubbles…shaking herself almost like a dog shakes off water, Quinn stood and forced a smile.

"Of course, a movie would be nice…um, I'm gonna catch a shower too and then we'll pick one."

With plans made and Quinn now able to breathe again, they headed back to the hotel. As the hockey player let herself into her room and collapsed face down on the bed with a groan, she wondered exactly _how _much fate was going to be testing her new resolve to take things slowly!

_Next up…the competition itself!_


	13. Chapter 13

The morning of the competition dawned crisp and clear, for a moment, Rachel panicked when she felt the arm draped over her. However as soon as she opened her eyes fully, the beginnings of panic dissipated in the face of Quinn Fabray's awesome and hitherto hidden cuteness. The blonde had been spooning her from behind with one hand resting on the diva's midriff, as Rachel turned over onto her back, the hockey player's limp hand remained in place. Quinn had a seriously adorable case of bed head and while one hand rested on Rachel, the other was on the pillow next to her head and it looked suspiciously like she had been sucking her thumb. Moving stealthily, Rachel's hand snuck out from the duvet and snagged her i Phone, opening up the camera, she took a few snaps of the sleeping hockey player then snuggled back down after realising they still had half an hour before they needed to get up. Seconds later, she almost fell out of bed with shock when a husky voice murmured directly into her ear.

"If those pictures end up on Facebook or Twitter you will be in _so _much trouble Princess."

Rachel turned over in the bed so swiftly that Quinn could have sworn her hair made a whipping sound. Grinning lazily at the half shocked and half guilty look on the brunette's face, Quinn hooked her hands behind her head.

"I suppose you think scaring the Dickens out of me is funny do you Gretzky."

Unable to hold it in any more, the blonde just nodded and started giggling, in fact she was so amused by her little joke that she didn't notice the pillow headed her way until it smacked her in the face. Now Rachel was the one grinning as she agilely ducked the hockey player's return fire and darted for the bathroom, calling over her shoulder.

"Move your butt Fabray, we have the compulsories coming up in a couple of hours and you have to eat something! So get your carcass in the shower quick smart."

Growling under her breath good naturedly, Quinn scooped her dressing gown from the floor where it had landed last night and slid her arms into it as she headed for the adjoining door to her own room. Last night had been innocent and hot at the same time, initially they had only planned to sit down together and watch The Maltese Falcon which was one of the blonde's favourite films. Despite the movie and the welcome comfort of the little diva wrapped in her arms, she had however been unable to completely quell the nerves she felt. She thought she had been doing a good job of masking it but halfway through, Rachel had hit the pause button and turned around in the circle of the hockey player's arms to look at her in concern.

After asking why her heart was beating double time when they were only sitting on their butt's watching TV, the blonde had crumbled and confessed that nothing had worried her this much since her mom had been shot. Instead of the light teasing or pointless but heartfelt words of encouragement that she was expecting, Rachel surprised her yet again. Moving from the blonde's lap, she quickly reversed their positions and before Quinn could even think of, let alone voice an objection, she found herself groaning in pleasure as the diva's small hands started massaging her neck and shoulders. Rather than engage in a pointless re hashing of all the inspiring stuff Will had spoken to them about earlier, Rachel just hit play and asked Quinn to explain the film to her as she was confused. Frowning for a moment, the hockey player paused but then as a particularly tight muscle was worked on, she blew out a breath and instead of giving in to the worry and fear she felt creeping up on her before, she just concentrated on breaking Raymond Chandler's over complicated plot down to it's basics. The result was that by the end of the movie, she was indecently relaxed and half asleep, when she made noises about getting up to go to her own room, Rachel had just shushed her and settled them down together. The last thing Quinn remembered was her Princess murmuring that she better not snore.

The effect was that instead of staying up all night and pacing her room while she tried to talk herself out of running away…she actually got a full nights sleep and felt almost normal that morning. Only _almost _normal however as she was once again growing nervous, even more so when she received a text from Santana saying that the family had arrived and would meet her and Rachel in the lobby. Groaning faintly, Quinn leapt into the shower and after a brief but thorough wash, she slipped into a clean pair of sweats as there was no point wearing anything else when they were due on the ice an hour after breakfast. She was just running a towel through her hair when Rachel knocked on the adjoining door, entering after Quinn barked out the invitation. The diva had dressed in a simple skirt and blouse but as always she looked like a knockout to Quinn and the hockey player smiled affectionately.

"You look…well, you look amazing as always."

The brunette smiled shyly and even gave a little half bow before walking over to the blonde and running her own hand through the still damp locks.

"You know you should really use a blow drier on this to help prevent catching a cold, although you do the whole 'just out of the shower' look very well Gretzky."

Blushing at the compliment, Quinn half closed her eyes as the diva continued to run her hand through her skating partner's hair.

"Yeah well…I try, um…San texted to say she and my folks are here, they want to meet in the lobby. I thought if it was okay with you maybe we could eat breakfast together?"

Finally pulling her hand away from the blonde locks (much to Quinn's relief as having her hair played with was one of her biggest weaknesses), the diva clapped her hands together excitedly.

"Oh yes! That would be fantastic it will be _great _to see everyone again."

Narrowing her eyes playfully as she led the way to the door and down towards the dining hall, Quinn managed to muster up a semi-stern expression.

"No telling tales on me…like the half an eyebrow thing, that's just between you and me Princess or no more chocolate mousse for you!"

Feigning horror at the very idea, the little diva mimed zipping her lips and throwing the key over her shoulder. Quinn however knew how persuasive Santana could be at wrangling information from people so she didn't hold out much hope. She fired off a quick text and they were only in the lobby for a few seconds before Rachel let out a happy squeal as she was swept into Dave's arms and spun around. She was still giggling when he set her back down and then fist-bumped Quinn, instinctively knowing she would want to maintain her cool. Santana however, was not at _all _concerned with helping Quinn keep her reputation and so pulled her into a headlock before ruffling her blonde hair affectionately.

"Hey butthead, I see you managed to keep yourself out of trouble _and _keep Rach safe…are you actually, finally growing up Q?"

Managing to eventually free herself from the headlock, Quinn glared back at her grinning and completely unrepentant sister.

"Yeah, it must be because I'm finally away from the influences that lowered my mental age!"

Rather than fire back at her, Santana just laughed and put an arm round Brittany's waist. The tall blonde greeted both the skaters and then Sofia and Lily finally turned up bickering good naturedly about sports as always. Surprised by the swell of love she felt for them both (she hadn't even realised that a little part of her had been homesick), Quinn surged forwards and tried to hug them both at once. As Lily was in her chair and Sofia was rather tall, it looked ridiculous and yet Rachel still felt her heart melt a little. Finally letting her mom's go, the hockey player turned to Rachel and motioned her forward knowing she wanted to greet them as well. Rachel went for a handshake and was promptly pulled into yet another awkward two-way hug that warmed her from the inside. Once they finished greeting each other, they all made their way to the table Will had set aside for them in the dining hall. It didn't escape any of Quinn's family how close the two skaters walked or the fact that their hands brushed against each other more than once on the short trip.

Breakfast was a fun and lively affair with Will telling the entire group _just _how good he considered both Rachel and Quinn to be. According to him, they were better than anyone else out on the ice, that made the hockey player feel better, but nowhere near as good as she felt when she saw the warmth, affection and pride in her mom's' eyes at the coach's words. Swallowing down her emotions, Quinn looked at her barely touched plate of food and pulled a face. She had just chosen an orange and sliced it into quarters (after all you couldn't go wrong with a good dose of Vitamin C); she wasn't sure she could keep much else down anyway. Rachel however was having none of it and had added a toasted bagel as well as several spoon full's of the red berry compote poured over a small bowl of oatmeal. Pulling a face, the hockey player chewed on the last of the orange pieces and poked at the oatmeal to give the illusion that she was eating it. She was unaware of both her parents smirking at the tried and tested method of deception, and of Rachel's disbelieving raised eyebrow.

"Gretzky don't make me hand feed you! If you don't eat something you're not going to last through the compulsories, you know as well as I do how many calories we burn so eat up."

Trying not to whine, the hockey player set her spoon down.

"But I'm honestly not hungry Princess…plus if my nerves _do _get the better of me do you really want me puking red mush down your back later?"

Setting her jaw stubbornly, the little diva crossed her arms and glared pointedly at the oatmeal in the bowl.

"I think I am more than willing to take the risk, and you know I'm right. Plus, I would also like to add that I am quite willing to sit here until you finish what's in front of you. I would rather risk your vomiting than I would you fainting on the ice and never forgiving yourself!"

Fidgeting in her seat slightly, Quinn also set her jaw and across from them Dave and Santana both smirked. While Rachel was an unknown quantity, they were both well aware of how stubborn Quinn could be, in fact when given a similar ultimatum at the age of fourteen the blonde had stayed at the table so long she fell asleep! Dave murmured out the side of his mouth as he held up a twenty-dollar bill.

"Twenty says Rach breaks before Quinn."

Santana quickly eyed up the combatants…Quinn was scowling but it seemed more of a pout than determined so with a wicked smile, the Latina extracted a twenty from her purse and lay it on the table next to his.

"Oh you are _so _on…the little diva over there is going to outlast our little hothead easily!"

Breakfast carried on around them for several minutes before Quinn heaved a huge aggrieved sigh and picked up the spoon before digging it into the oatmeal and starting to eat. Santana laughed uproariously as she swiped the forty bucks off the table, the hockey player flushed bright red before murmuring defensively.

"Well how am I supposed to compete with those kitten eyes she uses…it's like an unfair weapon or something!"

Rachel just smiled in triumph and poured Quinn some Earl Grey tea.

"Well as long as you learn early on that the kitten eyes always win, we shouldn't have too many of these silly arguments then should we?"

Quinn's (thankfully empty) jaw fell open at that and the rest of the table laughed while Rachel continued to smile serenely. Shaking her head and leaning in close, Quinn whispered.

"You're just lucky I love you Princess."

Rachel's eyes widened at that and the teacup which had been on it's way back down to the saucer landed with more of a rattle than a gentle tap. When Quinn realised exactly what she said, she swallowed and wondered what the hell to say to make it better…or even if she should. Before either of them could say anything else however, a loudspeaker announcement was made informing all skaters and their coaches to report to the signing in room. Will leapt up hastily, glad of the distraction, he wasn't sure _what _Quinn had said but whatever it was, it had flustered both skaters and as mercenary as it sounded, he needed to get their minds off of _it _and onto the competition. With a hurried goodbye to the others, Quinn and Rachel found themselves being ushered to the main room along with the rest of the skaters and coaches. They stood in an awkward silence for a moment then Quinn spoke hurriedly but quietly.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to scare you! It just slipped out…but I mean you must have kind of knew I was…that I had…well ya know that my feelings were…"

Before she could say anything else, Rachel turned abruptly and placed a brief soft kiss on the babbling hockey player's lips that effectively stunned her into silence. Chuckling slightly at the dazed look in those hazel eyes she loved so much, the little diva spoke quietly but with confidence.

"It's okay…please don't apologise and _yes, _I mean…well I knew you weren't treating this lightly. It just took me off guard that you said it at breakfast in front of your _parents_!"

Eyes widening at the realisation of the fact she had indeed done just that, Quinn physically face palmed and groaned faintly.

"Oh wow! I didn't even think about that…geez that was about as smooth as a homeless guy's facial hair. So much for my wooing skills huh?"

Chuckling slightly, Rachel nudged her with her elbow.

"I thought it was charming regardless of the timing, I think _you _are charming and that anyone would be lucky to have you fall in love with them, I'm just overwhelmed it's me. And for the record…I may just be falling in love with you too Gretzky."

The precious moment between them was spoiled when a familiar voice butted in with it's usual arrogant sneer.

"Oh look the sideshow act is here…but shouldn't you two be on your way to the Icecapades?"

Gritting her teeth so hard Rachel could actually hear them grinding, Quinn kept her eyes facing forward while talking herself out of decking the little twerp. Rachel narrowed her eyes and turned to Jesse.

"We are well aware of where we are meant to be, _you _however appear to be delusional. However, instead of engaging in a battle of wits with an opponent who is most definitely unarmed, I shall merely ignore you and when we take first place this evening I will accept your apology…maybe."

Quinn relaxed and half smiled as Rachel turned back around and ignored the snort of disbelief from the pompous little prick. Jesse however just had to push it that little bit further.

"I saw you in the dining hall this morning with that rabble, they do realise this place isn't a roadside diner right? I mean we aren't going to come down to the bar tonight to find the floor covered in sawdust, a mechanical bull and several dozen toothless yokels in plaid shirts?"

Quinn's temper snapped and spinning round on her heel, she reached out with a practiced ease and grabbed Jesse by his shirt front pulling him close with one fisted hand whilst the other was cocked back, ready to knock the smirk off his face. He yelped in fear like a little poodle and cowered, Rachel quickly put a hand out and lay it over the one of Quinn's that was cocked back to deliver a wicked haymaker.

"_Don't _give him the satisfaction Quinn!"

Everything in the blonde's body was telling her that this guy was a threat that she needed to put a stop to, but there were too many people around. Including the press and so she let him go with a sound of disgust. Straightening his shirt out, Jesse puffed his chest up and jabbed a finger at the hockey player angrily.

"You do that again and I'll have you for assault Fabray! Then you can go back to jail where you belong!"

He made sure to yell the last part of that out loud enough for the assembled sports reporters to hear and Quinn turned back to face the front. Her face was flushed with embarrassment at showing Rachel up and she swallowed down tears that were a mix of anger and self-loathing at having let that asshole play her.

"I'm sorry Princess, as soon as we leave here we're going to be swamped with reporters. I was supposed to be protecting you from this crap not becoming the main reason for it!"

Reaching up, Rachel rubbed across the top of the hockey player's shoulders and spoke quietly so the conversation remained between the two of them.

"It wasn't your fault Quinn…I should have seen it coming, Jesse is a master at manipulating people. You did nothing wrong and if it weren't for the competition not only would I have let you punch him, I would have gotten in a cheap shot of my own while he was down."

At the unexpected confession from the diva, Quinn laughed in surprise and then shook her head.

"Just when I think you can't get any more amazing Princess, you have to go and throw me a curveball."

Smiling proudly, Rachel polished her nails on her sweater and leaning confidentially in towards the hockey player, murmured.

"I have been told by more than one person that I throw a particularly wicked curve ball."

Quinn smirked and arched an eyebrow.

"Is it wrong that just the image of that is incredibly arousing to me?"

Rachel's smile grew wicked and she tugged on Quinn's sleeve as they moved up to register. Just before it was their turn to sign, she reached up on tiptoe and whispered.

"That _was _sort of what I was aiming for Gretzky."

Biting her lip to quell the groan, Quinn found herself grinning widely and the unpleasant incident with Jesse was all but forgotten. At least it was until they and Will tried to leave and found several dozen microphones shoved in their faces. Will moved forward and held up a hand to silence the deluge of barked questions.

"One at a time or we walk away okay?"

Obediently, the reporters quieted and glancing at his two skaters, Will sent up a silent prayer that this wasn't about to sink their career before they had even set foot on the ice. Nodding, he pointed to someone from Eurosport, the woman smiled and asked promptly.

"Miss Fabray, can we ask what that altercation between you and Jesse St. James was about."

Quinn had been dreading that but she reached up and after scratching the back of her head, offered one of her best crooked grins and shrugged.

"What can I say? the guy is a Mighty Ducks fan and I prefer the Blackhawks."

There was a moments silence followed by some genuine laughter from the assembled reporters, out of their line of sight as their hands were behind their backs, Rachel squeezed one of Quinn's proudly. Moving on quickly, Will motioned for the guy from the Times to go next.

"Rachel does it feel good to be back, and what do you have to say to the critics who say you're only skating with a woman because no man wants to take on the job?"

Will mentally braced himself for World War Three but was shocked when the answer to that was Rachel's light chuckle. Flipping her hair over her shoulder, the diva smiled slightly.

"Well, while it is true that Quinn can both keep up with me and skate much better than most of the male partners I have worked with, the real reason is simply because despite our differences, we work."

A reporter from a European paper butted in.

"That's it…you just work?"

Shrugging slightly, Rachel smiled up at Quinn who grinned back and nodded happily before they both faced the assembled press again.

"Yep, simple as that…Quinn comes from a hockey background as you all know but I can honestly say that I have never skated with anyone that has better balance, precision and speed on the ice. You guys better be prepared to take back your sideshow comments."

A few of them looked awkward but most just shrugged, they were only doing their job as far as they were concerned, Will held up his hands.

"One last question and we're done, Mary?"

A petite reporter from one of the professional ice skating publications that Will had, had drinks with a few times stepped forward eagerly.

"Quinn how different are you finding figure skating from hockey? Was the transition easy?"

The blonde smiled slightly and remembering the early days she laughed slightly and shook her head.

"It most definitely _wasn't _easy! I thought I worked hard before when I played hockey but that's nothing compared to the hours and dedication that figure skating demands. I was perhaps a little blasé about it at first but as you know as well as I do that Rach does not suffer fools gladly!"

She paused while they laughed and Rachel mock scowled and slapped at her arm playfully. Quinn grinned and rubbed the back of her neck before continuing.

"But she helped me out…she got the best out of me, things I never knew I was capable of doing and I can only hope that when we get out on the ice I do her and coach Schuester justice because despite the demands of the sport they made it easier, hell they even managed to make it fun!"

There was another round of laughter and then despite the obligatory clamouring for more, Will politely declined and steered a way through the throng for his skaters until they were safely in the changing and make up areas behind the rink. Quinn sagged into a chair in relief and let her head hit the vanity unit with an audible groan.

"I sounded like a _total _dork out there didn't I? S is going to rip it out of me for weeks after she sees that!"

She felt hands on her shoulders gently urging her up into a sitting position and when she opened her eyes, it was to see Rachel's warm brown ones smiling down at her.

"You did fine! Stop worrying and that little segue away when it came to the thing with Jesse was genius. I was actually jealous of the way most of the men _and _not a few of the women were staring at you!"

Quinn scoffed as she started rummaging in her bag for a Gatorade.

"You're just saying that Princess, it was you they were there for after all. You are the returning hero who never got quite made the throne, sort of like the Jennifer Capriatti of the ice skating world."

The diva batted Quinn's hand out of the way and unzipping a side pocket, pulled out one of the blue tropical berry ones that the blonde favoured and handed it to her.

"Actually I think you'll find that Capriatti _won _a grand slam, you are probably referring to Sabatini, now she was _almost _queen of the tennis world."

Pouting slightly, Quinn chugged down a good third of her drink before muttering.

"Well I meant in terms of Wimbledon, as in the biggest tennis tournament of them all, Jen never won that, she got close but didn't win."

Stealing the drink, Rachel took a mouthful and pulled a face before hurriedly passing it back to the grinning hockey player.

"Firstly, that tastes absolutely vile and I cant believe you drink it regularly…and secondly, I concede you have a point when it comes to Wimbledon. Although since the rise of the Williams sisters, I rarely watch the women's matches anymore…power does not an interesting game make."

Chugging more Gatorade, Quinn nodded her agreement.

"Amen to that…right let's go and get dolled up for the compulsories, although I'm still not exactly sold on the choice of music."

Rachel rolled her eyes and threw a balled up tissue at the hockey player as they began to get changed into their outfits behind their respective screens. The music for the compulsories had been a bone of contention between them, with Rachel wanting to fall back on something more traditional as they were going for one of the lesser-known songs from Phantom. Quinn however, had wanted to go for something a little faster paced to counteract the dramatic and slightly slower tone of 'Point of no Return' and in the end, Will had stepped in and decided _he _would make the choice to avoid any further bickering so they had ended up with one of the more lively pieces from the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' score. With a few simple adjustments to their costumes, it should look good and although the blonde would never admit it, she did love the music but complaining was something she decided she had to do on principle. They both emerged from behind their screens and as soon as they looked up from fiddling with their own outfits, their jaws dropped simultaneously.

Rachel was in a white free flowing gown with a black leather bodice laced around the centre like a corset, her arms were bare and her hair loose at that moment with a vague hint of curl to it. Quinn swallowed repeatedly just to get some moisture back into her mouth so she could speak. Unbeknownst to her, as she was too busy staring at Rachel, the diva was having exactly the same problem as her. She didn't think that it was possible for Quinn to look much more handsome than she did in the Phantom outfit but this…well! The blonde was in tight black trousers meant to emulate breeches and from the knee down, there was a leather effect which when lain over the black skates would give the appearance of leather boots. The shirt was much more billowing than the one she would wear as the phantom but was in the same shade of white. The front of it was laced from mid chest up and the collar was nice and loose, instead of a belt there was a red sash tied around her waist which trailed down one side giving her the look of a corsair. Needless to say they were both stunned by what they saw, stunned speechless in fact until they heard the chuckling of Isaac their costumier behind them.

"You two look as though as you may well have been struck dumb, for the sake of my vanity I shall assume it is because you are yet again wowed by my extremely stunning artistry…no?"

Blinking, they both looked over to him and chuckled shyly; eventually Rachel went over and hugged the older man affectionately.

"Of course we are stunned by your brilliance, aren't we always…now where is that lovely wife of yours hiding?"

Pretending to be flabbergasted, Isaac placed his hand on his chest.

"I shall not tell Jason that you just referred to him as the wife, he may well deliberately put a white streak in your very dark hair."

A voice called out from the other side of the partition.

"He already knows and is planning a suitable revenge! Now get your ass round here Berry and bring that delectable piece of arm candy you call a skating partner with you!"

Quinn rolled her eyes with an easy smile and followed Rachel round to the other side where Jason was tapping his foot and trying his best to look intimidating. In other circumstances, he may well have appeared to be very intimidating, at over six foot and with a muscle mass most bodybuilders only dreamed of, he _certainly _had the raw material. However once you had seen him rolling around with his Chihuahua on the floor and crying at a medical insurance advert, it was almost impossible to see him as any sort of threat. Rachel always had more make-up and hair issues and so she sat down with first with a guilty smile, Jason whined slightly as he grabbed his brushes.

"You make it impossible for me to be cross at you when you do the kitten eyes, Quinn tell her!"

The blonde had sought out the Chihuahua who was chewing happily on a rawhide toy under the counter and was busy wrestling playfully with him over it. She broke off long enough to grunt and roll her eyes.

"Give it up Jay, she knows the power of the kitten eyes, if you don't cave she'll do the inquisitive kitten head tilt as well…just saying."

Jason turned back to the mirror and sure enough Rachel was employing the head tilt, with a sigh, the big man started brushing.

"Fine, you are forgiven!"

He set to working on Rachel's hair style and make up while they gossiped about this that and the other, mostly the rumours on the skating circuit. Will was conspiring with Isaac over more possible costume ideas and Quinn was happily rolling around on the floor and alternately playing or fussing over the little dog fondly. It still made Rachel laugh when she saw Quinn with 'Brad' the Chihuahua, the two had struck up a friendship and it showed yet another side of the hockey player that may otherwise have remained hidden.

"She really loves that little guy, not that I blame her. Brad _is _gorgeous after all. Maybe you should look for a puppy that needs a home."

Rachel was glad Quinn was out of earshot when he said that and she made a shushing motion before gesturing him closer to whisper.

"Not so loud…I was going to ask you about that actually…"

Oblivious to the conversation, Quinn carried on playing until Isaac came round the corner and gave out a little horrified shriek.

"Quinn Fabray get up off of that filthy floor, if you have marked that wonderful costume I shall _not _be responsible for the crude language I may use!"

Leaping abruptly to her feet and trying not to look like a chastised child, Quinn scratched her nose and smiled sheepishly.

"I'm sorry…but he's just so cute and he does that head tilt and I just sort of…"

She trailed off with an embarrassed shrug and Isaac rolled his eyes and tried to ignore the sing-song voice of his boyfriend calling out that he told him so. Tutting, the costumier came over and started fussing with the hockey player's outfit, picking off bits of what Quinn was sure were imaginary pieces of lint. Rachel slipped from the makeup chair and touched the wild mane her hair had turned into.

"You really are a genius Jason, I _actually _look windswept, as though I have indeed been sailing the seven seas…what do you think Quinn?"

Looking up with a half irritated half amused frown from where Isaac was adjusting her sash, the blonde opened her mouth to reply…and stopped abruptly. Her jaw unwilling to move back up and form words as she took in the tousled and now delicately curled hair falling freely over Rachel's shoulders. Isaac cooed and touched a hand to his heart appreciatively, Coach Schue grinned and gave a thumbs up but Rachel noticed none of these reactions as she waited for a response from her partner. Swallowing to get some moisture back into her throat, the hockey player nodded and wished she had pockets in the stupid Lycra trousers so she could put her hands somewhere harmless. Right now they wanted to reach up and run through the glorious hair in front of her, however firstly now really wasn't the time, and secondly she was fairly sure Jason would kill her if she dared mess with his work. Instead, she smiled shyly and rubbed the back of her neck.

"You look gorgeous Princess…in fact with any luck the judges will be so blinded by you they won't notice me screwing up!"

Stepping forward, Rachel smiled warmly then lightly clipped Quinn's ear.

"Thank you for the compliment, but don't put yourself down! Seriously, because I will make it a new rule that every time you do I get to smack you upside the head."

Making a great show of rubbing her ear, Quinn pouted and let herself be placed in the make up chair that Rachel had recently vacated.

"Fine…no more self castigation, I hear you Princess. So…this make up deal, there's not much for me right and I mean my hair is already sort of short so what can you actually _do _with it anyway?"

Rachel grinned as Jason gasped and stood up straight with indignation.

"I will have you know that even if your hair was Marine Corp short I would be able to find it a style! As for makeup, you're right you will actually require very little but please try and refrain from cringing every time I come near you with a brush!"

Blushing in apology, Quinn tried not to react and for the most part was successful, it helped that Rachel sat next to her with Brad in her lap. Twenty short minutes later, Jason stepped back with a satisfied grin and when Quinn looked at Rachel she was gratified at the reaction. The little diva gasped slightly and bit her lower lip, one hand reaching out to brush through the blonde locks before Jason's comb rapped her knuckles. Finally glancing in the mirror, Quinn's hazel eyes widened in shock and pleased surprise, he had kept it in it's simple page boy style but created a side swept fringe that gave her a very 'devil may care' air. Grinning despite herself, she looked back and up at the stylist.

"I shall never doubt you again Jason!"

He huffed but his reply was drowned out as Will called out excitedly that they needed to head to their box to get ready to enter the ice. Quinn immediately paled and felt her hands start to shake, however she took a deep breath and followed her coach and skating partner dutifully. As they took their seats she caught sight of her family seated next to Rachel's dad's, she nudged the diva whose face lit up when she saw where Quinn was pointing. Obviously she had no idea both her fathers were going to make it for the show, the blonde was glad that at least one of them was happy. They watched as the act before them took to the ice, it was St. James and his new partner, some willowy and sheepish looking blonde thing. Wiping sweating palms on her knees, she finished lacing her boots on and let Isaac attach the leather covers over them. She swallowed hard a couple of times and then her eyes widened with realisation and she turned and grabbed Rachel's sleeve with a clammy hand.

"Rach…I'm gonna throw up!"

Tutting, Rachel smiled fondly and patted the hockey player's hand, speaking without taking her eyes off of their competitors on the ice.

"It's just nerves and, excitement, trust me you will be fine Gretzky."

Tightening her grip on the diva's sleeve, Quinn closed her eyes and swallowed again before muttering out between gritted teeth.

"No…_seriously_, I'm going to throw up!"

Turning around with a vaguely irritated frown, Rachel's brown eyes suddenly widened in panic as she took in the rapidly moving throat of the pale blonde in front of her.

"Oh dear god you _are _going to throw up!"

Quinn managed a nod and scrabbling around as discreetly as she could, Rachel managed to drag the tub of first aid supplies from under their bench. She hurriedly emptied the contents into a surprised Will's lap and passed the box to Quinn who promptly lost what little she had eaten that morning. Trying her best to keep the vomiting hockey player from the view of the audience and the other participants, Rachel put on her best show smile. Eventually, Quinn sat back up and went to wipe her mouth on her sleeve; Rachel just intercepted her in time and passed her a tissue and a bottle of water. Rinsing her mouth, Quinn let out a shaky breath and sat back, Rachel found and squeezed her hands in concern as she kicked the box subtly towards one of the rink staff with a mouthed apology.

Jesse and his partner were just finishing up to their music and as they slid smoothly into their finishing positions, the crowd cheered and Will gestured for Quinn and Rachel to head to their entry spot. Giving them a brief hug, he patted them on the back and wished them luck before heading back to watch their performance. The blonde still looked terrified and as Jesse skated to his bench to await he and his partner's scores, Rachel turned and took hold of the blonde's shoulders. Managing to get the worried hazel eyes to lock onto hers, she almost growled as she spoke with such intensity it shocked some of the worry right out of Quinn.

"Listen to me Quinn Fabray and listen up! We have worked hard for this, we deserve this and you know you can do it. So stop worrying and damn well man up! When we skate out there you _aren't _Quinn the hockey player trying to figure skate…you _are _Quinn the figure skater that's about to blow people away, do you understand!"

Unaccustomed to the firm no nonsense tone directed towards her, Quinn actually blinked in shock and felt her shoulders square up. Letting out a breath, she focused on the skates on her feet for a moment then looked up again. Her hazel eyes locked onto Rachel's stern brown ones and she smiled, it was a small smile but it was a real one and she offered her hand.

"I say…we go out there and show St. James just what he gave up when he walked away from skating with you. And when we win this thing? I totally get to kick his ass."

Rachel laughed softly and squeezed the hand in hers before facing the rink again.

"If we win I'll let you kick him up the ass _once_, more importantly however I'll let you share another movie with me, and I guess you can sleep in with me so long as you stop stealing the covers."

The teasing jibe worked as the last of Quinn's tension flew away and she barked a laugh, before either of them could say anything else however, the official by the entrance gave them the signal. With one last look at each other, they headed onto the ice hand in hand, as they reached the centre they turned and bowed to the judges as courtesy dictated then moved into their starting positions. For the compulsories, this meant Rachel was knelt on one knee with one hand flat on the ice and her head back as though she were a figurehead on a ship. Behind her, Quinn was standing firm with her hands on her hip as a sea Captain might be on the prow of his vessel.

Remembering how Rachel had helped her to connect to the character of the Phantom and the emotion behind the music, Quinn decided to stop thinking of this as just a skate. She was the captain of her ship and she would tame the seas she was about to set sail on, as she dropped into character, her slightly nervous smile turned into a cocky grin and when the first note sounded her arm shot down and grabbed Rachel's without conscious thought. Pulling lightly and holding on, she watched as Rachel rose smoothly to both feet and twirled under the arch of Quinn's arm.

After that there was no stopping them! Had they paused for even a second in their performance, they would have seen the stunned faces of Quinn's family as they finally saw just what their previously wayward family member was capable of. They would have seen the sheer joy on Leroy and Hiram's faces as they saw the familiar light turn back on in their daughter's eyes and shine brightly. They would have seen the tears of pride falling from Lily and Sofia's eyes as they saw the passion behind Quinn's performance, a passion she had never shown in anything else she had ever done. Lastly but most definitely not least, they would have seen the looks of surprised awe on the faces of the crowd watching and on many of the judges' faces.

However they did not pause, not even once. Their routine was flawless and rhythmically mesmerising as they moved from lift to spin and fluidly back into lift. Their step sequences were so synchronized, it brought to mind an on ice version of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers to many of the minds of those in the bleachers. To top it all off, there was no doubt in anyone's mind that not only were they one hundred percent invested in their performance, they were also one hundred percent invested in each other and in their enjoyment of what they were doing. Locking eyes with her partner, Quinn grinned rakishly and even managed a wink before they launched into their side-by-side double axles. They both nailed them perfectly hitting the ice and skating smoothly into an embrace with each other that after a moment moved smoothly into the same position they had started with as the music ended.

For a moment, there was complete silence and then the applause erupted across the rink, Rachel accepted Quinn's hand to assist her up again and holding hands once more, they both bowed and waved to the audience (and in particular their families who were literally foot stomping and whistling as well as cheering) before heading back to their bench. Will wrapped them in a massive hug that literally took their feet off the ground, Quinn's eyes widened in shock at the unknown strength in her coach's arms and Rachel laughed happily as she slapped at his back. He set them back down and let them sit as they waited for the scores to come in. Rummaging under the bench, he passed Quinn her usual bottle of grape Gatorade and a mineral water for Rachel. The brunette turned to Will and asked eagerly.

"Did it look as good as it felt because…my _god _Will it has never felt that good before, I swear!"

Grinning widely, he spread his arms and pointed to where her fathers were happily embracing Quinn's mothers.

"It looked _amazing _and did you hear that applause? The crowd didn't know what they were going to get with you guys but with that reaction I would say they were more than happy…oh hush here come the scores!"

Quinn took hold of Rachel's hand tightly and laced their fingers together as both of them kept their eyes fixed on the scoreboard and the results from the six judges…eventually they started flashing up. 6.0, 5.9, 5.9, 5.4, 6.0, 5.9. The crowd cheered every result except the 5.4 which received several boos. Quinn however was bowled away, it was her first competitive skate and she had managed to get not just one but _two _6.0 scores! She hugged Rachel blindly, the brunette chuckling happily as she returned the embrace enthusiastically. Then abruptly they both pulled apart looked at each other and blurted in unison.

"A 5.4! What the hell!"

They both turned to Will who smiled awkwardly and tried to look on the bright side.

"It puts you level pegging for first place and you haven't even done your own skate yet, you deserved more than the 5.4 but I knew we might have problems with that guy he's sort of a…well, traditionalist and he's been openly against your pairing. But even with him against you, you're tying for first place so don't let it worry you. Now you need to take a break, have something to drink and get ready for the next segment."

Patting them on the shoulder one more time, he helped pack their stuff up as they unlaced their skates. Quinn could swear she could hear an outraged Latina swearing in her native tongue about the 5.4 and tried hard not to giggle. Judging from the way Rachel was chewing the inside of her lip, she could hear it also and was having the same trouble. Which is why when they left the rink area, the reporters snapped pictures of a happy and giggling duo as opposed to the confused and angry ones they had been expecting after the low score from that one judge. However they could see the couple were genuinely happy and although they didn't stop for an interview at this point, they made sure to pose for a few pictures and kept on smiling and joking between each other.

When they managed to get back into the very small area they had been given for preparation, Isaac and Jason were ready with glasses of sparkling mineral water in lieu of champagne. Squealing happily, they pushed the glasses into the skaters' hands and hugged them while they talked excitedly with Will about the routine. Grinning, the two women managed to duck away from the brief and impromptu celebration and retreated to the safety of the floor where they sat cross legged and waited for Brad to join them. The little Chihuahua came over swiftly and dropped his squeaky tennis ball at Quinn's feet. As she played with the dog she smiled shyly over at Rachel.

"We did okay huh Princess?"

Rachel smiled back blindingly and leant into the blonde, almost nuzzling her.

"We did _better _than okay…now we get time for a light lunch which hopefully you will be able to keep down and then it's time to bring out our big guns."

She'd behaved for so long that really a smutty comment was inevitable and so despite the internal struggle she suffered for all of thirty seconds, Quinn couldn't help herself when she muttered.

"I didn't think we could show _them _in a competition."

Frowning the little diva looked at the blonde for a long moment and when the penny finally dropped and she realised the hockey player was being smutty, she dropped her jaw and slapped lightly at her arm.

"Gretzky! I'm shocked and you'd been doing so well with civility!"

Unable to contain her mirth anymore, Quinn started giggling and as Brad rolled over for a belly rub with a little yip, the hockey player managed to stutter out.

"You should have seen your face just then Princess!"

As she fell back and erupted into full blown laughter, Rachel's eyes narrowed playfully, sensing something was about to happen, Brad scampered back over to his bed and settling his chin on the rim of the dog bed watched to see what these curious humans would do next. The little diva tried to remember the weak spot that Santana had shown her and with unerring accuracy, her hand found the place on Quinn's side. Suddenly the hockey player went from laughs of genuine amusement to squeals of desperation as she tried to get away from the relentless tickling. They had no idea that Will was happily snapping pictures of the two on his phone and Jason and Isaac were placing bets on the eventual winner. The winner turned out to be Rachel who easily pinned the wriggling blonde and letting up her attack long enough to switch her hands to Quinn's wrists, she grinned down at the athlete.

"Now, are you going to _promise _to stop making smutty comments Gretzky or am I going to have to keep up the tickle torture?"

Smirking slightly, Quinn tried to shrug which she discovered was almost impossible while in her current position…a position she was only just becoming fully aware of and she swallowed slightly.

"With me in this position I think I'd promise just about _anything_."

Her voice came out lower and huskier than usual and the amusement in the little diva's brown eyes melted into affection. Pausing to lick her lips, she gentled her hold on Quinn's wrists and pulled her up into a sitting position. They regarded each other in silence for a moment and then Quinn reached up to gently caress Rachel's cheek. Closing her eyes the brunette drew in a shaky breath and after letting it out, opened her eyes and half whispered.

"Promise not to break my heart?"

Blinking away unexpected tears, Quinn brought her other hand up to caress the other side of the diva's face and after placing a barely there kiss against the soft lips in front of her, the hockey player whispered.

"I promise with everything I have and all that I am that I will _never _break your heart Princess."

Wrapping her arms round the blonde's neck, Rachel pulled her close and held her tightly, behind them the three men had made a strategic withdrawal to the cafeteria to get the lunch. Rachel pulled back long enough to run a hand through the rakishly styled fringe and smiled sadly.

"You're meant to make _me _make the same promise Quinn, your heart matters too."

Smiling faintly, the hockey player chewed on her lower lip then shrugged.

"Until you came along I didn't even know I still had a heart in that sense, you're the one that showed me it was still there. I…trust you Rach."

Rachel's indrawn breath stuttered slightly and she had to mentally kick herself just to remember the next part of the process known as breathing. In front of her was this amazing woman who had been hurt in so many ways and betrayed at every turn by everyone she thought mattered. And now, thanks to her adopted family, she was learning to trust again and had seen something in Rachel that caused her to give her fragile and battered heart to the diva without question. The brunette tried to think what to say to convey to Quinn just what those three words meant to her. But with all the books she had read, films she had watched and words she had personally spoken and written…she couldn't find any that suitably expressed what she was feeling. She moved her hands to Quinn's collar and gripped it lightly for a long moment before finally speaking tremulously.

"Quinn, I…you're more amazing than I can actually find words for and although we're still new at our relationship I just…I want you to know that, that I…Quinn Fabray I will _never _cause you to regret the trust you place in me. I know you joke around a lot and act like the stuff you went through is nothing but I know better. And your father never deserved a daughter like you, he wasn't good enough! I believe we have free choice but I also believe some things were destined and I believe that you were destined to have the family you do now. I also believe…well it's more of a _hope _I suppose, that we are destined to be together."

Suddenly, Quinn wished that Will and the guys were still around because she really had no idea what to say to that. Reaching up, she scratched the side of her nose and felt her natural caution, or what was left of it, crumbling away under the intense brown gaze. Not only did she want to believe what Rachel had just said…she realised she _did _believe it, without question. Unlike the diva however, she couldn't even cobble together a sentence to reflect that so she just smiled shyly, genuinely, and uttered.

"We are…I mean, it's like you said before, we totally kicked ass out there like it's meant to be. Cos ya know…I love you and…stuff."

Flushing bright red, she trailed off with a grimace at her lack of eloquence, Rachel however just laughed softly and leaning forward kissed the hockey player softly before resting her forehead against the slightly taller woman's.

"Never apologise for who you are…even if that you is less than verbose sometimes, you're wonderful as you are. Now how about we change back into our sweats so the atmosphere is slightly less charged when coach get's back."

Grinning back, Quinn nodded and fluidly rose to her feet before assisting Rachel to hers, at which point the hockey player's stomach growled loud enough that Brad sat up in his dog bed, head tilted to one side inquisitively. Rachel looked at the abashed look on Quinn's face and immediately fell about laughing. Unable to quite mask her mortification, the blonde face palmed and half smiled, seconds later Will and the guys arrived with cartons of salad and bread rolls to find their diva rolling around on the floor with laughter and Quinn pouting. Jason turned to Isaac and Will and quite decisively stated.

"I believe this is one of those things that we decide not to ask about for the good of our own sanity gentlemen!"

Will nodded eagerly while the costumier sniggered and shook his head, they set the lunch packages down on the table and when Rachel had finally laughed herself into submission the hockey player still did the chivalrous thing and helped her to her feet. Isaac promptly started to lecture the brunette on the proper treatment of his precious costumes and it was Quinn's turn to chuckle to herself as she retreated to one of the free chairs to eat. As the performance time for their freestyle event grew closer, the levity disappeared and the blonde started pacing in agitation. Rachel had made sure there was a bucket spare in case Quinn threw up again but it seemed to be anxiety more than fear that was riding her back now.

She was strangely silent and introspective as she endured the costume change and the hair and makeup. The hair was slicked back and swept to one side this time while the makeup was minimal, some black around the eye on one side before the white face mask was painted on. She had to admit that it was impressive as hell and Jason almost squealed in delight when she held her knuckles out for a fist bump of approval. She smiled briefly and then headed towards the curtain where she could see the current competitors, the Hummel guy and his partner. Leaning on a pillar, she sighed and watched them perform, unconsciously evaluating their moves. She turned with a smile when she realised that Rachel, who was also picture perfect and ready to perform, had come up alongside her and slipped an arm round her waist.

"You make an irresistible Phantom, Gretzky."

Blushing at the compliment, Quinn found she had to clear her throat before replying as she took in the traditionally styled yet short ball gown the diva had on. Coupled with the delicately curled hair that was piled carefully on top of her head, she looked breathtakingly beautiful.

"And you…just _wow_, my more lascivious side is saying rude things, I'll paraphrase and just say that if you were _my _Christine then Raoul could go fend for himself cos I wouldn't give you up."

Reaching up, Rachel gently flicked the end of the hockey player's nose.

"So what's with the Grumpasaurus Rex impression then?"

Hazel eyes squinted with amusement and the blonde shook her head.

"I knew letting you watch American Dad with me would lead you into bad ways!…I guess though that until now I didn't realise quite how badly I wanted this."

Tilting her head questioningly, the diva leant into Quinn and waited, eventually the hockey player let her cheek rest gently on the top of Rachel's head and let out a very small chuckle.

"The irony is when I first got into this, it was just a means to an end you know? I saw a way to get the money we needed for mom's operation and despite the more…um colourful rumours I'd heard about you I figured I could hold my own."

Rachel laughed dryly and pausing to slip her arm round Quinn's waist, they watched Kurt and his partner enter into a chair lift flawlessly before she couldn't resist adding.

"And then some!"

After an amused chuckle, Quinn kept her eyes on the performance in front of them but turned her head enough to kiss the crown of the diva's head before carrying on.

"But now, now things are important, I don't just mean me and you because that goes without saying. It's just ice dancing, the actual performance is something I feel passionate about. First thing this morning I was terrified, I was convinced that I would get out on that ice and make us both a laughing stock. And then…Jesus Princess, then we just _aced _it…I'm not saying that just because it was us either, I'm saying it because we were good, _damn _good! And now I'm _not _scared, I'm concerned that we won't win because of prejudiced idiots like that judge, because I want to win. I want this win more than I want to play for the Blackhawks…and trust me when I say that's a _lot_!"

Smiling softly, Rachel stood straight and finally tearing her eyes away from Kurt's performance, she turned Quinn's head gently to face her.

"You know what Gretzky…when we go out there we _are _going to win it, I know that because you were right, we have something none of those other skaters have."

Determination and passion turned abruptly into bemusement and Quinn scratched her nose before squinting in thought and muttering.

"Unconventional but amazing families?"

Rachel rolled her eyes and couldn't stop the fond grin that crept across her lips.

"No you gigantic dork…well yes, but not in this instance."

She paused and waited for Quinn to stop grinning and assume a suitable 'listening' face, at that point the little diva softened her tone and then spoke clearly.

"Each other."

They were two simple words, but yet again the mistress of the subtleties of the English language had managed to convey an oceans' worth of meaning in an eggcup of letters. Shaking her head slightly, Quinn grinned crookedly and stole a somewhat less than chaste kiss from the diva before murmuring huskily.

"How do you do that Princess…just blow me away using words, you're gonna have to teach me that one day you know?"

Smiling happily, Rachel shrugged a shoulder and taking the hockey player's hand led her away from the curtain and the distraction of her anxiety over their upcoming performance.

"I'm not going to give away all my secrets Quinn Fabray…not right away that is, I have to retain some of my feminine mystique after all to keep you interested."

The blonde let her eyes run unashamedly over her partner's figure and then she smirked lightly.

"Trust me when I say that keeping my interest will _not _be an issue."

Raising her head haughtily, Rachel levelled what was meant to be a stern expression at the hockey player. Meant to be because unfortunately her amusement wasn't very well masked and it ended up looking more like a smirk.

"You better not have been staring at my butt just then Gretzky…"

Slapping a hand to her chest in feigned shock and letting her jaw drop, Quinn did her best to make the infamous eyebrows convey her innocence.

"As if I would do such a thing…besides, it's you who stares at _my _butt remember?"

Tilting her head to get a look at the aforementioned portion of the blonde's anatomy, Rachel rose her own eyebrow and grinned.

"_Oh _yes!"

For the first time since they had known each other, it was Quinn that gasped in surprise and swiped at the diva's arm. It successfully burned off the last of the hockey player's anxiety over their free skate routine and instead the two bickered over whom was the worse influence on whom. By the time Will came over to escort them to their benched area, they were relaxed and looking forward to getting on the ice again. In fact Quinn was eager, not just to compete but to perform, it felt like an itch she wasn't going to be able to scratch till she felt the ice under her blades again. With their skates tightly laced, they waited and at long last the official gestured for them to skate out. After they took their bow, they faced each other to get into their starting positions and Rachel murmured low enough for Quinn and Quinn alone to hear.

"Okay Phantom this is your chance…come get your Christine."

The smile Quinn bestowed on the diva at that point was one hundred percent the Phantom's and at that point Rachel knew that barring a catastrophe no one was going to be able to touch them. As the first note sounded they separated powerfully and began the routine that had become so significant to both of them. In the friends and families area Lily had a tight hold of Sofia's hand and Santana had scooted to the edge of her seat. They had seen Quinn stubbornly run on a sprained ankle to finish a race just because it mattered to their coach, they had seen her slide into home plate powerfully enough to completely skin her elbows to maintain her teams win record. But in each of those circumstances she had done it for someone else, looking out onto the ice now, they found it hard to reconcile that stubborn but emotionless teenager with the impassioned woman now moving across the rink.

Dave put his arm around Santana who would deny it with her dying breath but was in fact welling up with the passion she could see fuelling the performance in front of her. She had known Rachel was a flawless and dedicated performer from watching past performances with her mom's but even the little diva seemed to have bloomed since then. She was skating with more purpose, more passion than she had ever seemed to have with any of her previous partner's. Much to her embarrassment, the Latina found herself gasping along with the crowd as Quinn seemed to hurl the diva from a pairs spin into a throw. Rachel's feet hit the ice perfectly and she skated smoothly into another spin as Quinn went from a single, to a double to a triple axel around her to illustrate the Phantom's attempts to attract and keep Christine's attention on him.

The hockey player's family were not the only ones to notice the difference in the diva's performance and Hiram had hold of Leroy's hand so tightly he threatened to crush the larger man's hand. Rachel had always been technically flawless and smooth across the ice but with other partners she had been almost too technical. For a while it had looked as though she may have had passion with Jesse St James but when she refused to roll over and spread her legs for him, the capricious Prima Donna had moved on to his next target. A move that at the time they had despised him for…now they would have to admit they wanted to thank him, for if _he _hadn't left then Will would never have found Quinn and they wouldn't be seeing what they were now.

It wasn't just them either, both men took the time to look around at the rest of the crowd and they were literally mesmerised by what they were seeing on the ice. The only other skaters that had drawn as much attention were Puck (who always attracted attention and always had fun) and Jesse who was as flamboyant as usual. Hiram recognised the song they were skating to moving into the last few lines and tore his attention away from the crowd and the judges' table and back onto the ice. As the song reached it's crescendo and Christine unmasked the Phantom, Rachel and Quinn moved from their gentle circling of each other into an almost embrace. At the last moment as Rachel reached up to where the painted on mask was, Quinn turned her head and skated just past the diva. They ended as Quinn's hand trailed behind her and caught onto Rachel's, the diva was crouched down facing the opposite way with one had barely touching Quinn's and the other reaching out to someone the audience couldn't see.

There was a moments silence and then uproarious applause broke out, on the ice Rachel and Quinn broke their position and couldn't help but grin at each other and then the crowd. Waving happily, they skated back across towards their bench and waited for the scores, this time however Quinn had no compunction about holding Rachel's hand above the table. Will squeezed them in a hug so tight they actually had trouble breathing, when he broke off he had tears in his eyes.

"You two were everything I could have wished for and more! You blew everyone away I hope you know that, even that prejudiced idiot can't mark you too low without risking an inquiry."

Quinn doubted that but when she caught Rachel's eye, the brunette winked reassuringly and then the crowd quieted as the scores flashed up…6.0, 6.0 6.0 6.0 6.0 5.9. They didn't have to be geniuses to work out who gave them the 5.9 but even so that was more than they had envisaged and mindless of the cameras flashing, Quinn pulled Rachel close enough to whisper.

"We did it Princess, laughing stock my ass!"

The diva laughed loudly and throwing caution to the wind, she closed the last remaining inch and kissed the now _ex _hockey player softly. Quinn's eyes widened momentarily in surprise before she grinned into the kiss and returned it. When they separated, she saw Jesse St James across from them glaring angrily, his previous boyish good looks transformed into an ugly scowl. Unable to stop herself, Quinn grinned over at him and winked, she was pretty sure there was nothing else that could make this day any better!

"Hey Gretzky…"

Quinn raised her eyebrow and turned to face the diva who pulled lightly on the collar of the blouse until they were eye level. Brown eyes sparkling, Rachel grinned happily and after letting out a short breath she spoke directly into the blonde's ear.

"I love you too."

Okay…_now _this day couldn't get any better!

_Okay it's taken a while and I know you all hate me but work has been manic! It's our annual stock take and I was put in charge of ringing round to get the temps in and then training them and the permanent staff and management team up. However after Monday it's all over and I can dedicate more time to you guys. I hope you aren't too pissed at me and that you enjoy this chapter, and for those of you also following RBR I am not giving Quinn a drug problem so don't worry…more than that I wont say but there __**won**__**'**__**t **__be an addiction storyline. As always you deserve more than I give you lol but have my love and thanks for now xxx_


	14. Chapter 14

_Just a quick note as my editor pointed something out that I didn't think twice about when I wrote it down lol. A few chapters ago Quinn referred to the Berry house as the Spencer Mansion in deference to the imposing booby trapped filled house from Resident Evil. It continues to be called that though many people might not remember why, hence this little AN lol. Hope it doesn't ruin the chapter for you all! _

Throughout the entire presentation ceremony, Quinn remained pleasantly stunned, even with the weight of the gold medal around her neck and her hands helping to hold up the trophy with Rachel it didn't sink in. glancing over to the beaming diva, she smiled back crookedly but arched one eyebrow as if to say '_is this for real?' _Rachel winked discreetly back at her and for once the demonstrative hockey player (or ex hockey player as she now thought of herself) was happy to take a back seat and let the brunette lead the way. It wasn't that Quinn _wasn't _used to winning, in fact given her natural ability in anything athletic or sporty, she had collected more trophies and medals than the rest of her hometown put together. But this was different, this was the first time she had won something she had really, really _wanted _to win and so the feeling of joyful satisfaction was taking some getting used to.

Rachel kept a tight hold on Quinn's hand as they went through the acceptance of their gold medals and trophy. When Will met them afterwards along with her fathers and the blonde's family, there was a mass hug that must have looked like they were being mobbed to anyone who was looking on. Not once did they let go of each other's hands however, despite the attempts of their friends and family. Quinn caught sight of her foster sister's stunned expression and it knocked her for six, blinking, she used her free hand to punch lightly at the Latina's shoulder in their usual friendly greeting.

"Hey, I know it wasn't as exciting as watching a hockey match but…um, what did you think?"

She was surprised to hear the tone of nervousness in her own voice, even now, after winning and accepting her medal the blonde realised she was still nervous as she awaited the verdict of her family. To her left, she didn't notice that Rachel's attention had also been caught by the abrupt appearance of Quinn's hot- headed sister. Santana was at a loss for words, she genuinely had never seen Quinn so…well, so bloody _professional _about anything and if she hadn't seen for herself that it was in actual fact the stubborn blonde, she would never have believed it. And now of course she had to try and find a way to express it that wasn't going to embarrass either one of them.

"You…were pretty damn good out there Qball, I mean seriously it was amazing, that 5.9 must have come from a blind asshole."

Accepting the compliment as the Latina's way of offering her congratulations, Quinn just shrugged and offered her fist for a bump, grinning widely. Santana was just reaching out to bump it accordingly when Brittany cleared her throat. Catching her eye, Santana seemed to hesitate for a moment and then in a move that surprised her as much as it did Quinn (and separated the two skaters' hands for the first time that night), she reached out both hands and pulled the blonde into a tight hug. After a moments stunned immobility, the skater closed her eyes to stem the flow of happy tears she could feel gathering and hugged the Latina back just as fiercely.

"Quinn, you were bloody beautiful out there and I am so proud to have you as my sister."

It was whispered in one hurried gruff breath into the blonde's ear but she didn't miss even one nuance of the words. In answer, she gripped the leather jacket that covered the Latina's shoulders tightly and swallowed until she could manage a response that was just as gruff.

"Yeah well…just consider it payback for all the times you had to bail me out of the drunk tank San, and ya know…cos I love ya and stuff."

The last three words ended in a slight choked sob and the two women used each other's shoulders to surreptitiously wipe their tears on before parting. They smiled briefly and were saved from the momentary awkwardness when Dave swept in between them and pulled Quinn against his left side and Rachel against his right.

"You two _ruled _out there…now on to the important thing, where's the party gonna be taking place?"

Both their mom's rolled their eyes but Rachel noticed her fathers exchange a brief gleeful smirk before Hiram spoke up.

"Well, it's funny you should mention that because it just so happens we anticipated such a result and have accordingly organised an appropriate celebration at our place!"

Lily opened her mouth to ask a few questions when Leroy slung an arm round her shoulders from his crouched position next to her and confided wearily.

"He already had guest rooms made up for you and the kids, my suggestion is just to go along with it…I hear you've already seen an example of Rachel's organisational skills? well it is my glorious husband she learned that from so trust me when I say it's easier to just go with it."

Arching a questioning eyebrow at Sofia, Lily was relieved when the blonde fire officer shrugged casually.

"Why not? I'm off call this week and in five hours I'm officially on holiday!"

Nodding his head, he discreetly grabbed hold of Hiram to finalise the arrangements, Rachel walked back over to lean against her stunned skating partner's side with a small but fond smile.

"So, how does winning feel then Gretzky?"

Blinking the shock from her eyes, Quinn refocused her hazel gaze on Rachel's shining brown one.

"Well, I think…I think that I better get used to it because between you and me, there wasn't much serious competition for us out there today. You looked beyond beautiful out there today Princess, you looked…timeless."

Feeling her cheeks heat with embarrassment from the compliment, Rachel ducked her head so her gaze was focused on the floor rather than the soft but penetrating gaze Quinn was levelling at her.

"Hush you, I only looked as good as I did because of you and you know it…I just wanted to say that…you don't ever have to worry about making me feel ashamed of you Quinn. I never could, I know you were worried about it before today's competition but just promise me you won't feel that way anymore, you have no need to."

Suddenly not caring about the assembled press that were clicking away only a few metres in front of them, Quinn reached out and used her forefinger to tilt the diva's chin up until she caught the brown- eyed gaze.

"Hey…I'm _not _the reason you looked good out there Princess. You are stunning in a way that can't be achieved by either the world's best surgeons or the top Olympic coach…and do you know why?"

Frowning slightly, Rachel shook her head no, Quinn smiled softly and using her free hand reached out and tapped a gentle forefinger to the diva's chest.

"Because the thing that makes you as amazing as you are is in here. Your heart is the most stunningly beautiful one I think I have ever come across, and I'm glad, in a purely selfish way that no one ever realised that, because it meant that _I _got to. I know that sometimes I don't say what I mean real well but…I'm trying to say that…no one will ever be as gorgeous to me as you are because, well…they aren't _you_."

Unsure whether or not she had managed to make any sense whatsoever, Quinn scrunched up her face and rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly. Rachel regarded her openly for a few moments and then reaching up, she hooked a forefinger into the shirt of the phantom costume and pulled the blonde down and into a soft kiss. Quinn's hand fell limply from her neck and came to rest on Rachel's hip, she smiled in vague confusion as the diva pulled away from the soft close mouthed kiss.

"What was that for Princess?"

Shaking her head with a soft smile, Rachel took Quinn's hand in hers and started leading them away, vaguely aware but not caring of the sound of multiple camera shutters firing off behind them.

"Just for being you Gretzky, just for being you."

Will brought up the tail end of the happy little group's departure and cast a quick look to Rachel's father's, he indicated the press with a tilt of his chin and they nodded slightly. They had known that it would be nigh on impossible for the two women to keep the nature of their relationship secret for long. Now all they had to do was get ready to handle the questions and of course the possible fall out, which meant that sometime soon there was going to have to be a very difficult conversation between Rachel, her fathers, Quinn and Will. But that was for another time, another day; for now it was about the celebration of their first and very decisive win on the pro circuit.

The aftermath of the competition meant that while both sets of parents, Dave, Santana and Brittany were chatting away loudly and discussing the various moves made during the competition…the skaters themselves were fast asleep in the very far back of the minibus that Will had arranged. Quinn had fallen asleep so her head was hanging loosely off to one side of the seat back while her arms were securely around Rachel. The diva herself had her hands fisted into the shirt front of the dozing hockey player and was drooling slightly with a faint smile. Unable to resist, Santana captured the photo moment and uploaded it to Face book with a smirk, Dave shook his head and chuckled.

"She is going to smack you upside the head so hard when she sees that!"

Shrugging a shoulder carelessly, Santana sat back in her seat.

"Well…we were _way _too emotional earlier and I have to do something to redress the balance a bit. Besides, I have to admit the two of them look sickeningly cute like that…if you ignore the drool that is."

Brittany giggled at that and let her head rest comfortably on the Latina's shoulder.

"Yeah they never ever mention that in the romantic books and movies do they? I mean most people end up drooling a bit, _especially _if they fall asleep with their mouths wide open."

Tilting her chin, she gestured to where Quinn's jaw was partway open and Santana grinned wickedly.

"Okay…how long till a stream of drool hit's the mighty munchkin on the top of her head?"

Dave rolled his eyes good-naturedly and leaning backwards in his seat, he gently shifted Quinn until her mouth was closed and her head tilted to rest on the crown of Rachel's. He was the only person that Quinn didn't wake up for, if anyone else tried to move her in her sleep they more often than not got a fist in the face, but Dave always seemed to get away with it. As soon as the two skaters had been subtly moved, they sank into each other and snuggled closer with identical smiles on their faces, Dave grinned while Santana muttered under her breath and rolled her eyes at their 'frigging cuteness'. They were still fast asleep when they got to the Spencer Mansion and while everyone else piled out of the minibus, the champions themselves woke slowly and a little disoriented. Rachel smacked her lips and wiped at her mouth with a sheepish grin.

"I think I drooled on you…sorry Quinn."

The blonde rubbed her eyes with the heels of her hands and yawned before smiling back happily and then gawping in surprise when she looked out the window and took in the sight that awaited them.

"Uh…Rach, where the hell did your dad's manage to get a party from on this short notice and…who _are _all these people?"

Rachel laughed aloud at the look on Quinn's face.

"My dad's just have this organisational aura about them, it's partly why they're as successful as they are in business. And you get used to surprises like this, believe me…why don't you go grab a shower and change, wake yourself up a bit then come back to the house."

Heaving a sigh, Quinn realised that she didn't want to be parted from Rachel…and that feeling scared her as well as shocked her. Swallowing and trying to wrap her head around the panic she felt welling up within her. This was something completely new, something completely disconcerting, one half of her wanted to literally cling onto Rachel's hand and stay there while the other wanted to run and run fast. Swallowing hard, she looked around and forced a shaky smile when she realised Rachel was staring at her quizzically. She could feel the sweat beading on her forehead and was a split second away from bolting when the familiar voice of her ma broke through.

"That's not a bad idea Quinn, I know you wiped your make up off but a shower would be ideal. Plus I kind of would like to see your place and make sure you're keeping it in a state your mom and I would be at least _partly _proud of."

Smiling in relief, Quinn swallowed and nodded her head loosely before reluctantly letting go of her partner's hand and folding her arms. Rachel still looked faintly worried but nodded and allowed Lily to distract her with requests to be shown around the house. Sofia tipped a very slight nod towards Lily who smiled briefly and then let Rachel lead her into the house. Once the diva was out of sight, Quinn's shoulders slumped and she started to trudge wearily towards her chalet. She was very aware of her ma, who was silent and patient as she walked alongside her, she refrained from commenting until they were inside the guest chalet however, at which point the fire officer gently steered Quinn onto the sofa.

"Out with it kiddo…what's going on in that head of yours?"

Collapsing back into the cushions, the blonde growled impatiently and slid both hands into her hair gripping tightly.

"I don't know! That's just the problem…I mean things were fine, better than fine we're together and I love her and then…I don't know what the fuck happened!"

Raising an eyebrow, Sofia lightly clipped her ear and muttered '_language_!' before sitting down next to her.

"Okay, well as much as I used to be a cop before this fire gig…I can't make any sense out of what you just said, so relax, take a deep breath and then try explaining it a sentence at a time."

Nodding and letting out her breath slowly, Quinn took several deep and measured ones before re opening her eyes.

"Okay…here's the thing, you know I had a pretty sub standard childhood right? And throughout all that and then high school and um…well the unfortunate prison years, I never needed anyone. Not in such a way that the idea of being without them terrified me…you following this?"

Trying not to smile at her foster daughter's obvious distress and confusion, over something that to everyone else was self explanatory, Sofia just nodded politely and waited.

"So, here's the thing, when Rachel said I should go to my place and shower and change, I realised I didn't want to! How dumb is that my whole life has been about relying on myself so why now after everything does the thought of leaving her side to shower and change suddenly terrify me! How does that make the slightest bit of sense!"

Unable to stop the twitching of her lips anymore, Sofia let loose a gentle and affectionate smile as she put an arm round Quinn's shoulders and pulled the pouting young woman closer to her.

"Sweetheart I hate to break it to you but it's called love and it's not meant to make sense, it's meant to invigorate you, terrify you, elate you, shock you and comfort you…but I don't think there's a man or woman alive that would tell you it makes sense."

Quinn plucked at the material on the sofa cushion and grumbled.

"I just, it's odd I mean I never needed anyone, yeah there was you and mom and Dave and S, but that was different. This is like…if I walk away from her even for a bit I'm terrified that she won't be there when I return."

Chuckling slightly, the fire officer ruffled the skater's short blond locks.

"Kiddo, there's no easy way to say this, but you're in love and you're in deep and all this stuff you're going through is perfectly normal, it's just that most people go through it at a somewhat younger age, as in high school age. But, that doesn't mean that you're abnormal, it just means it took someone really special to get through to you."

Thinking of the hot headed, talented and gorgeous diva up the hill in the Spencer Mansion, Quinn couldn't help but grin like a kid in a candy store.

"Yeah…she is pretty damn amazing isn't she?"

Kissing the top of Quinn's head gently, Sofia pulled her into a hug and sighed.

"Yep, she is, but so are you Quinn Fabray. Can I make a suggestion though, about how to handle things?"

Groaning faintly, Quinn sagged against her and nodded.

"God yes please!"

Laughing again softly, Sofia prodded the skater in the side repeatedly until hazel eyes glared at her irritably; once she had Quinn's attention the older woman smiled and spoke gently but firmly at the same time.

"Talk to Rachel, let her know when you feel these things. She might not say it all the time but she knew something was wrong with you; she was worried. For some strange reason you two lovebirds are having your first big love affair in your late twenties instead of your teens, but I say just go with it."

Sitting up straight, Quinn looked thoughtful for a moment and then nodded decisively as she stood up, she took several determined steps to the bathroom then whirled back round and pointed a finger with a mock glare.

"First of all, you're right, I'll talk to her and I'll just go with it…and secondly, _just _for the record 27 is not late twenties it's late teens!"

Sofia's amusement was clear in the loud bark of laughter she let out at that.

"You just keep telling yourself that kiddo, now go get ready and I'll wait here for you, we can walk back up together."

Muttering under her breath about annoying parents and how you were only as old as you feel, Quinn stomped into the bathroom to the soundtrack of her ma's laughter. Up at the Spencer Mansion the party was finally hitting it's stride and the sound system was playing music loudly enough to allow people to dance, but not so loud that conversation was impossible. Dave was standing with Hiram and discussing an idea he had been working on for a restaurant for Santana on the off chance they won the lottery. The Latina herself was standing with Leroy and discussing why the appetisers they had at the party were nowhere near as good as her own. Brittany was dancing with several of the other skaters that the Berry's' had invited, including Puck and Kurt.

Puck was laughing loudly and holding court as he regaled the blonde with tales of the skating world. Kurt was smiling happily as he nursed a bottle of Perrier, though Brittany couldn't help but notice that every so often he shot curious glances over towards Hiram and Dave. At first she wasn't sure which of the two men had attracted his attention until Dave glanced over and winked at her, she smiled back and noticed Kurt blush furiously and look anywhere but towards Dave. Smiling to herself, Brittany made a mental note to let Santana in on this bit of information! Rachel had changed into a loose tan coloured peasant blouse and butter soft blue jeans. She walked down to the party and couldn't help but smile, for once she didn't feel a stranger in her own house, she still wished Quinn were here and by her side though.

She saw Lily had strategically manoeuvred herself into the corner with the least foot traffic and was happily sipping a strawberry daiquiri that Leroy had no doubt mixed for her. Will walked in from the direction of the chalets and Rachel realised that she had expected it to be the hockey player when her heart sank slightly. Sighing, she made her way over to Lily and grabbing a chair sat down next to her before tipping her head warningly towards the drink.

"Careful, dad is _very _liberal with the booze in his cocktails!"

The detective laughed and shrugged a shoulder casually as she took another appreciative sip of the potent brew.

"I think after a performance like today's, we all deserve a damn good drink! You two looked…so together out there."

Rachel tilted her head curiously at that, they had been called technically brilliant, artistically amazing but together was a new one on her!

"How do you mean 'together' I mean we sort of have to be because we're partners?"

Smirking, Lily scratched her nose in a way that Rachel immediately recognised, she grinned internally at the realisation that Quinn must have picked the gesture up from her foster mother without realising.

"I know that most people tell you how amazingly talented and skilled your performance was, but to me it's the connection between the skaters that makes or breaks the performance. When you and Q were out on the ice today the connection between you was a living thing, both in the compulsories and the freestyle. The air almost crackled between you, it's like…the way you feel for each other was poured into your skating, fuelling it almost. But then again I'm just a cop so what do I know?"

She ended with a grin and plucking the strawberry from the rim of the glass neatly tossed it in the air before catching it in her mouth. Rachel laughed in genuine amusement at the woman's antics and then smiled shyly.

"Actually, it makes a _lot _of sense and I wondered if it was just me or if it was visible. I mean…I have had connections with people before but dancing with Quinn is different, it doesn't feel like we're performing it feels, as you so rightly described, that we're just using ice dancing as yet another expression of our love."

Trailing off, the diva was surprised to feel herself flushing a bright red and her eyes darted around the room hoping no one else had heard, luckily they hadn't! Lily reached out and lay a hand lightly on Rachel's nervous one, oddly the touch alone calmed the brunette and Rachel assumed it was something to do with being a cop.

"Hey, I think it only fuels the talent the two of you obviously have…Rachel can I ask you something, you don't have to answer but I'm curious."

Shifting slightly awkwardly in her seat, the diva cleared her throat and took a sip of the fruit punch she had just snagged from a passing tray.

"Okay, go ahead and ask, I can always refuse if it's too embarrassing or difficult to answer can't I?"

The blonde cop grinned at her.

"Yeah, of course you can. Well listen, I was just curious because both myself and Sofia have been to see Quinn in every sport she has ever competed in. but today was different it was like I was looking at someone totally different…how much of that is her and how much is training?"

Rachel's smile became natural and relaxed at that, this was safe ground indeed and she could see how Quinn's family who had only ever seen her in team or solo sports might be completely taken aback by what they had seen the blonde do today.

"I'd like to take credit but I truly can't, Will taught her the basics but the passion, the flair and the drama behind it? That is all Quinn and no one else, she insists on presenting herself as a puck head but she is anything but that. She came up with the idea for the costumes and over half the dance moves, she is honestly the most talented skater I have ever worked with…or ever will."

She looked up at that point as the door opened again, this time it was Quinn, closely followed by Sofia. The older woman made her way over to her wife while the skater trailed along shyly behind her. She'd changed into black jeans and a dark red soft cotton shirt with the sleeves rolled up a quarter of the way and battered sneakers. Oddly the sight of the battered sneakers made Rachel smile, as much as she loved it when Quinn dressed up, she couldn't deny that there was something about the battered sneakers that was just so _Quinn_. The hockey player grinned like an idiot when she locked her gaze with Rachel's and nudged the diva's boots with her Nikes.

"Hey there, nice party that your dad's are throwing huh?"

Rolling her eyes, Rachel drained her fruit juice and linking her arm with Quinn's, steered them towards the mini bar.

"You have no idea, dad loves any excuse to throw a party and daddy loves to indulge him, mostly I go and hide in the library as parties have never been my thing."

Quinn arched an eyebrow and snagged a bottle of mineral water from the bar with a nod of thanks, when Rachel had taken another glass of the fruit punch the hockey player spoke.

"Even if it was a party for you?"

Sipping several mouthfuls of the sweet pulpy drink, the brunette rolled her eyes again.

"Oh, _especially _if it was for me! Parties are a place for effervescent and lively personalities that like to mix. Personally I prefer an open fireplace, some gentle music, a mug of cocoa and a good book…and yes I know that makes me sound ancient."

Quinn smiled softly and reaching down, laced her fingers through the brunette's before speaking.

"Actually if I'm honest…I hate parties too."

At that Rachel almost did a double take and she turned to take in the hockey player's sheepish expression as she sipped the carbonated water.

"But…you are the life and soul of any party, especially if half the stories Santana and Dave told me about your antics at the various proms and dances are anything to go by."

Scratching her nose awkwardly, Quinn leaned against the wall and crossed her legs at the ankles. Rachel moved so she was half turned towards her, her shoulder resting on the wall next to the blondes.

"Well yeah, I mean I had to sort of present myself that way, it was like the high school code. If you're the top jock then you have to act like a total ass and sleep with anything that offers, spike the punch, start fights. It sucks but it's just the way it had to be."

Rachel tilted her head letting it rest on the wall as she smiled softly; reaching out she took hold of the hockey player's free hand before speaking softly.

"So, if _that _was what you had to do and who you had to be then I find myself wondering what exactly you _wanted _to do at these dances and parties?"

Quinn toyed with the label on her bottle of mineral water for a long moment, she knew the advice that pretty much everyone in her family had given her was to be honest and open…but it was sort of frightening at the same time as it was tempting. Eventually she realised that the greater part of her was yearning to be honest with the woman she loved.

"Well…okay but you have to promise me you won't laugh?"

For a moment, the brunette wanted to frown but she recognised that Quinn wasn't saying that out of a lack of trust, but more because she was desperately wary of opening herself up after being closed off for so many years. So, solemnly Rachel reached up and crossed a forefinger over her heart, Quinn nodded and inclined her head closer to the diva so their words couldn't possibly be overheard.

"I never danced at these things…I always wanted to but jocks don't dance, jocks make out. So as dumb as this may sound, what I always wanted was to just enjoy the music, feel it until I found her, the one girl I knew I wanted to dance with. Then we'd finally get to dance that slow dance, properly, the way it's meant to be done, not just a jumble of hands fumbling under zippers. Then afterwards when everyone else drove off in their limo's or to a look out point somewhere to have sex, do you know what I wanted to do?"

Rachel shook her head, genuinely curious for the suddenly shy hockey player's answer. Quinn smiled and ducked her head slightly before letting out a breath and continuing.

"I'd want to walk her home, if it was a nice night of course…we'd walk past the park together, maybe spend some time just sitting on one of the benches and talking about what we wanted to do when we left school. When we got back to her house, I'd walk her all the way to the door and kiss her goodnight, not a handsy kiss just a romantic one. I'd wait at the end of the drive till I saw the light go on so I knew she was safe then I'd head home."

She paused and taking the silence for amusement, felt her cheeks flush bright red and she muttered.

"It's dumb I know, stupidly dumb but it's just so far removed from anything I had and…"

She stopped abruptly and looked up when she felt the smooth fingertips of her skating partner land gently on her lips, halting the word vomit. Looking up finally she saw that Rachel was peering at her, not with amusement, but with a soft and unguarded expression that took her breath away. So much so that it took her a long moment to focus on the fact that Rachel had just asked her a question.

"Um…sorry, what was that?"

Smiling fondly, Rachel asked again.

"What song was it that you would dance to at this ideal dance of yours Gretzky?"

Blinking in mild shock, Quinn realised that far from finding this odd little fantasy amusing, Rachel found it interesting and wanted to know more. She searched in her mind for the song, the one she had listened to for over a year every night, hoping to find someone that was willing to dance it with her. Cheeks hot with embarrassment, the hockey player leaned forward until her forehead was resting on Rachel's and murmured her answer. The diva laid a hand on Quinn's cheek for a moment then reaching up, kissed her cheek softly.

"Wait here a moment, hold my drink?"

Quinn accepted the glass on instinct and frowned as the brunette disappeared for a long moment. Not more than three minutes later, she reappeared and taking her glass back held out her other hand for Quinn to take.

"Come on…come with me Gretzky."

Unsure what was going on but happy to follow the brunette who was smiling happily, Quinn shrugged and allowed herself to be tugged along until they found their selves in what was either a music room or a ballroom. Blinking in awe at the miniature chandelier hanging from the middle of the ceiling, the blonde let out a low whistle.

"Definitely never seen this room before, where are we?"

Rachel smiled and looking up twirled round once before coming to a stop and gesturing grandly.

"This is the grand ball room…it's not that grand but daddy loves ballroom dancing and they have a huge ball every new year's eve, it's the only time we tend to use it for actual parties."

Smiling slightly, Quinn took in the polished wooden floor and Edwardian style wallpaper decorating the walls.

"Well, it's certainly an impressive room…however is there a particular reason we're here?"

Smiling secretly, the brunette held up a finger for silence and when Quinn subsided she dimmed the lighting and picking up a remote, started up a reflective glitter ball that the blonde had previously missed. Smiling slightly, she glanced over at the diva who was biting her lower lip shyly as she walked over.

"I…wanted to give you the dance you always wanted, I mean I know it's sort of stupid and you really don't have to do it but…"

Setting her bottle of water down on the side, Quinn straightened her shirt out and interrupted Rachel's ramble effectively by stepping forward and offering her hand.

"May I have this dance please?"

Unable or unwilling to break the spell the two of them seemed to be falling under by speaking, Rachel simply reached out and placed her hand in the hockey player's calloused yet surprisingly soft one. Leading them out onto the dance floor, Quinn held out her hands in the correct posture and Rachel gratefully took her place within the circle of the strong arms offered to her. Tucking her head into the crook of Quinn's neck, Rachel lightly inhaled the subtle scent of the blonde's cologne and smiled happily when she felt a cheek rest on the crown of her head.

"I hate to be a party pooper but there's no music to dance to?"

Finding that she enjoyed the rumble of Quinn's voice against her chest, Rachel relaxed into the light embrace.

"_Patience _Gretzky."

Thirty seconds later, Quinn was on the verge of asking again when she heard the familiar tune start up, she was caught between the urge to cry softly at the thoughtfulness behind the gesture and smile inanely because it was finally happening. Kissing the top of Rachel's head, she started to move them to the music fluidly, two lines in and she was humming, four lines and she found herself singing the words softly to the little brunette.

_Wise men say._

_Only fools rush I can't help._

_Falling in love with you._

Rachel wrapped her arms around the hockey player's waist and pressed a soft innocent kiss to the underside of the taller woman's jaw. Quinn smiled faintly and dipping the diva, quirked an eyebrow as she sang the next few lines; Rachel giggling all the while._Shall I stay._

_Would it be a I can't help._

_Falling in love with you._

As the instrumental part of the Elvis classic kicked in, the blonde easily pulled them both back upright again, after a few steps she twirled the laughing diva round, when Rachel twirled herself back into the hockey player's waiting arms, Quinn stole a quick chaste kiss before recommencing her soft singing._Like a river flows._

_Surely to the sea._

_Darling so it goes._

_Some things are meant to be._

Knowing the song and therefore the dance was coming to an end, the blonde pulled Rachel close again and they swayed to the slow soulful rhythm. Quinn's voice had gone slightly husky with emotion so Rachel joined in for the last verse._Take my hand._

_Take my whole life I can't help falling in love with I can't help falling in love with you._

The last notes of the song played out but the two women remained wrapped around each other as the dimmed lights reflected the rotating glitter ball. Eventually, Quinn pulled away far enough to grin crookedly at the flushed diva.

"You certainly know how to sweep a girl off her feet Princess, and here I thought _I _was the one that was meant to be doing the wooing?"

Ducking her head shyly, Rachel spoke to the battered Nike's rather than to Quinn.

"I…suppose that it was just something small I could do for you, and because I never went to a normal high school, I never got to do the whole prom thing and it appealed to me…it was stupid wasn't it, gosh I'm sorry!"

She tried to free herself from the arms holding her but Quinn refused to budge and after a moment Rachel relaxed into her girlfriend again. Leaning forward, the blonde kissed her forehead and then used her nose to nudge the diva's face until she looked up and giggled at the gesture.

"Hey, it _wasn't _stupid Princess, it was perfect and I have to say that if I'd had the choice then it would have been you that I danced with at my prom. Thank you."

She stopped and placed another soft kiss on Rachel's startled lips.

"So stop second guessing yourself okay…would you, um maybe like to go for a walk with me? We can both duck out of our party and just talk for a bit?"

Smiling brightly, Rachel did a little excited jump on the spot and clapped her hands together.

"_Brilliant _idea Gretzky, I will go and grab our coats and meet you by the kitchen door in five minutes! Try not to get caught up in conversation with my dads, if they've had a few drinks they'll talk your ear off!"

Taking the amused hockey player's hand, Rachel led the way out of the ballroom after killing the lights. They made it as far as the main hall where the guests were and then the diva dropped her hand with a whispered 'five minutes Gretzky!' before disappearing. Laughing softly to herself, Quinn couldn't help but feel like a fifteen-year-old sneaking out to meet her girlfriend after curfew. On a whim she snagged a tray of canapés and emptied them into a napkin, folding it carefully she held the little package in one hand and was almost to the kitchen when something caught her eye. Dave was leaning on the doorframe smiling softly while the little skater, Kurt, was talking to him animatedly, arms flailing around everywhere as if to illustrate his point. The hockey player grinned when she noticed that Kurt took every available opportunity to touch her brother, even if it was just a fleeting moment of contact, she really hoped this Kurt guy wasn't a player because Dave deserved better than that. Catching Santana's eye, she inclined her head towards their brother and raised an eyebrow, the Latina nodded back to say she had the big guy's back and reassured, she slipped into the kitchen. Making small talk with the kitchen staff as usual, the head chef noticed her bundle of canapés and rolling his eyes (and despite her protestations), he put some fresh ones in a container along with some sweet pastries and thrust it at her. Before she could vocalise her thanks, a flask of something was thrust into her other hand and she raised an eyebrow, Gary grinned.

"Hot cocoa, if you're going to sneak out then you may as well have everything, and Rachel loves that stuff as you know."

Quinn grinned back despite the red flush suffusing her cheeks.

"Thanks, I owe you."

He waved her off and went back to his preparation, the door opened and Rachel slipped in with their coats. She took in the box and flask and smiled brightly before hugging Gary who pretended to be annoyed.

"Okay, yeah whatever now get out of here so I can do some work…and uh congratulations on your win guys. You worked hard for it and it was well deserved…now get out of my kitchen!"

Chuckling happily, Rachel passed Quinn her coat and took the flask while the hockey player slipped it on. She refused however to relinquish the flask after that as she wanted to hold hands, on reflection Quinn decided that she didn't mind in the least and started to steer them towards a specific spot. Rachel was happy to let the hockey player lead the way and just enjoyed the crisp winter air, it was cool but not enough to be uncomfortably so. She smiled to herself when she realised that they were headed to the little hillock that she liked to stop on when on her morning runs to watch the sun rise. When they made it there, Quinn brushed off the fallen log that formed a natural bench and then sat patting it invitingly until the diva joined her.

"Wow, I never realised how amazing the moon would look from here is that why you wanted to walk here?"

Scratching the side of her nose, Quinn shrugged ever so slightly and Rachel realised the red tinge to her cheeks was not just from the cold.

"Well, partly yes, I mean you know how much astronomy interests me so I knew it would give us a really good view. But there was another reason and it's sort of embarrassing but I wanted to share it with you."

She glanced to her side and to her relief the diva wasn't chuckling or confused, just expectant. Taking a deep breath, Quinn opened the container of canapés and munched a couple before speaking; Rachel just waited patiently and helped herself to some as well.

"The morning we first ran together and stopped to watch the sunrise…was the first morning I realised how amazing you were. I mean I knew from the moment I met you that you were beautiful, but it wasn't until that morning that I acknowledged you'd made your way into my heart."

The hockey player almost faltered at saying the words out loud but after a brief glance to ensure that Rachel wasn't laughing at her, she continued in a quiet voice.

"Since then, every time we jog in the mornings I get a warm feeling when we pass here and it just seemed right that after our first win and the way you arranged for my dream dance that I…shared it with you."

Suddenly feeling shy, an emotion she hadn't felt since her extremely early childhood, Quinn reached for the flask, Rachel's hands stopped her by catching hold of hers and squeezing gently until those amazing hazel eyes met shining brown ones.

"I'm…wow, I can't actually express to you how much it means to me that you told me, and in the spirit of sharing, I have to confess you aren't alone."

Dark blonde eyebrows met in the middle in confusion at that and Rachel smiled softly, sitting upright again, she waited until Quinn was focused on her and spoke softly.

"That morning was the first morning that I got a glimpse of who you really were. The way you were looking out at the rising sun revealed that underneath all the attitude and overt sexuality you were still someone filled with wonder at the simple things. And at that moment, well, I also realised that I would do whatever I could to get to the hidden Quinn Fabray because the woman looking out at that sun touched my heart."

The hockey player found herself swallowing hard, tears stinging the back of her eyes she blinked rapidly.

"I…had no idea, none at all but I suppose it shouldn't surprise me that you noticed more than I projected. You're more perceptive and loving than you let people think, I guess in that way we were alike. I mean you protected yourself with the ice queen mantle and I used the slut method, both designed to keep people away."

Frowning slightly, Rachel lay a hand on Quinn's cheek and despite the chill, Quinn found she didn't mind at all.

"You aren't and weren't a slut Quinn, you enjoyed sex and there's nothing wrong with that, I suppose I was just embarrassed because I don't…I mean, I've never done anything that…well you know. Just don't ever call yourself a slut Quinn, not in front of me because I won't put up with that, not when I know you're a deeply loving person."

Lowering her eyes and reaching up to scratch the side of her nose, Quinn huffed an embarrassed breath. Taking the diva's hand in both of hers, she fidgeted for a moment and let out a breath.

"Okay well, if we're sharing secrets here then I guess I owe you one."

Rachel opened her mouth to protest that but freeing one hand the hockey player reached out to place it over the pursed lips.

"No, wait…let me explain, it's all part of the same conversation, well kind of. And it's something that will make you feel less awkward about the whole sex thing."

Relaxing under her touch Rachel nodded her acquiescence and kissed the finger tips against her lips. Quinn smiled and dropped her hand to take hold of Rachel's again before speaking.

"You know my sexual past, hell I think everyone in my home town and most likely in the press will know soon about it but they only know one side. I don't want to try and justify my behaviour or apologise for it but I do want you to know something.

Toying with the diva's elegant fingers in her grip, the blonde blew out another breath before carrying on.

"I slept with a lot of women, but they never slept with me."

Seeing the confused look in those brown eyes, Quinn took a deep breath and carried on.

"I took them all to bed and I screwed them, I know that sounds crude but it was what it was. It wasn't making love by any stretch of the imagination, it was two women going to bed with the same intention, orgasm. However, while I always made sure they were taken care of I didn't…well, I never let _them_…I mean, sex between women is different to sex with a guy. I mean both of you are actively involved when it's a man and a woman. However with two women you can remain detached if you need to, and _I _needed to. I made sure they didn't regret their time with me; don't get me wrong! But I never wanted to be touched myself, I saw to my own needs. I…wanted you to know this because when we reach that point, it's important for you to know that you're the first person who will ever be having me…um, despite my reputation."

Quinn fell silent and immediately regretted spewing all of that out; she knew that with something like this she should have written it out beforehand! Her lack of eloquence when it came to the English language was legendary in their family and she started to fidget, fighting the urge to bolt in a blind panic. Rachel seemed to sense this and she pulled Quinn's hand to her mouth and turning it over within her own, kissed the palm gently until the blonde stopped fidgeting and made eye contact. At that point she noticed the tears gently and silently making tracks down Rachel's tan cheeks, reaching forward in concern, she wiped them gently with the pad of her thumb.

"Aw _crap_…I didn't mean to make you cry Princess!"

That made Rachel giggle even between her tears and she rummaged in a pocket until she withdrew some tissues to wipe her face. Quinn watched on in concern wondering if she should take it back or pretend she had made it up.

"Gretzky _hush_, these are good tears…you didn't have to admit any of that to me, I wouldn't have known the difference. But it means so much to me that you did share it, and please know that even if you had let them touch you it wouldn't have changed the way I feel about you."

Smiling shyly and rubbing the back of her neck with a shrug, Quinn allowed herself to be pulled into a light embrace. Kissing the diva's temple she closed her eyes happily, for a few precious moments they just held each other and watched the bats flying by the light of the moon. Then Rachel looked up at her in confusion.

"Does that mean that…I mean technically does that make you a virgin as well?"

Quinn felt her smile freeze and a leaden feeling settled in her stomach, she had known in the back of her mind that Rachel would ask but she now had to acknowledge that she didn't want to answer her, at least not yet, especially not now. Closing her eyes she pulled Rachel closer to her and inhaling the light scent of her coconut shampoo murmured quietly.

"I…am not a virgin no, I wish I could offer you that but it was taken a long time ago Princess."

She knew that right at that very second there was a war raging within the feisty little brunette, with half of her aching to ask Quinn when and who and why she didn't want to talk about it. While the other half would be insisting that she give Quinn time to reply in her own time and to not push for answers. The hockey player couldn't help the soft smile that crept across her lips as she felt Rachel starting to wriggle, the internal battle finding itself a physical outlet. To stop the struggle and also to stem the tide of any further questions, Quinn pressed another kiss to the diva's temple then pulled back enough to catch her gaze.

"I'll tell you, just not now…I'm enjoying this, just me, you, the moonlight and the bats. Let's just keep it nice huh?"

Swallowing down her near physical pain at the story that might be behind the question, Rachel forced herself to relax and nod. She reached up and kissed Quinn warmly to let her know it was more than okay with her and that whenever the hockey player was ready she would be there to listen. Deciding to steer the conversation back onto safer ground, she looked out at the bats whizzing around and asked seemingly from nowhere.

"Okay, vampire or werewolf!"

Starting slightly, the blonde looked around as if expecting to see one or the other creature about to fall upon them. Turning back to the diva, she raised an eyebrow with exaggerated confusion and Rachel laughed out loud before slapping at her arm lightly.

"Sorry, a bit out of left field but I meant if you could be either a vampire or a were wolf which would you be?"

Expression abruptly clearing, Quinn smiled brightly and grabbing up the flask poured them both a cup of cocoa as she replied.

"Oh that's easy! It would have to be a Werewolf, I mean with effort you could still live a normal life and control yourself during the change. Plus I could still be with you and not want to drain your blood, nor would I have to avoid the sunlight and watching the sunrise is suddenly one of my favourite things to do."

Rolling her eyes slightly, the brunette blew on her cocoa to cool it slightly before taking a sip.

"Well as I would be a vampire we would definitely end up as star crossed lovers then! I mean why choose a life where you have to get all hairy and hunt defenceless animals three nights a month. As a vampire you can make sure you never eat your friends and you get to look classy."

Quinn snorted inelegantly and winced as she burned her tongue on the cocoa (unlike Rachel she had negated to cool it first).

"Oh _please, _vampires are only like that in those stupid books where they also sparkle and spend half their time depressed!"

Rachel grinned internally at having gotten the reaction she wanted, if there was one thing guaranteed to send Quinn on a rant, it was the works of Stephanie Meyer. The diva wasn't even a huge fan herself, she had enjoyed the books but not the movie adaptations so much. It did however make the perfect distraction to take them away from the gravity of the previous conversation. So even though she secretly agreed with the choice of werewolf, she started to argue the case for vampires. As the moon rose higher and higher in the sky, the two skaters bickered good-naturedly between themselves while their party went on without them back at the Spencer Mansion. Tomorrow it was back to practice and putting together an entirely new routine but for now they could just be Quinn and Rachel, two young women in love.

_Okay, first of all huge apologies for the long time between updates, secondly another apology as this may well have sucked. I'm afraid I just got hit by several curve balls in a row and it may have affected my writing so if it seems below par I am truly sorry. However seems that things are finally getting back on an even keel so here's hoping the next part is more action and less talk. I just needed some treacle thick romance lol. Feel free to drop me a line either way to let me know what you liked or didn't and I promise a longer and much better update next time. Plus now I have indulged my romantic deficiency I can indulge my humorous slapstick side with the next part of Going Loopy which makes me chuckle slightly I have to admit. As usual thanks for sticking with me and with the story, next update will be better I promise, have some love and kisses xxxoooxxx._


	15. Chapter 15

_**WARNING: This chapter contains some graphic scenes of abuse, please read the AN before continuing…**_

_A word before you read this chapter please…it is the one and only chapter that may prove difficult to read in this story as it finally delves into the past of both Santana and Quinn. Apart from this I want to keep this story relatively light because it is my romantic tale, more so (I think at least) than my other__'__s. RBR is the heavy one while Going Loopy is the humorous verging on slapstick story that I write to amuse myself and when life get__'__s too serious…which is why I will be working on the next chapter of that as soon as this chapter is finished. I hope the content will not disturb you too much but to clarify it does contain fairly graphic descriptions of abuse so if you wish to skip that part of the chapter then when it goes into italics, scroll down until you reach the normal font again. Having said that I hope the rest of the chapter doesn't disappoint and I promise it ends on a positive note and after this will return to the romantic mush you are used to! As always you have my love and thanks xxx_

Three days after the party to celebrate their first victory, the two skaters found themselves working even harder as they tried to come up with a freestyle performance to rival their first one. Will was busy going through his books and trying to come up with something that either hadn't been done before or that they could put their own spin on. Rachel was trolling through every single website she could think of to search for inspiration and Quinn was…well, actually Quinn had become fairly quiet and withdrawn as of late. She was still just as affectionate and attentive when she was with the little diva but apart from those times the outward going, wisecracking joker had disappeared, only to be replaced by someone very quiet and serious. Will had been debating with himself for the last couple of days over whether or not he should mention it, eventually he decided it was a natural come down after the thrill of her first competitive victory.

In reality, the last deep conversation that the hockey player had had with Rachel (up on the bluff watching the moon) had stuck with her in the worst possible way. On the surface it had been romantic, something special and indeed it had been, but what she hadn't counted on was the back-lash that would come afterwards. She didn't regret the decision to confide in Rachel that she hadn't allowed any of her lovers to touch her, but…the unexpected question regarding her own virginity had thrown her. At the time she had pushed it to the back of her mind because she wanted to share that special moment with Rachel untainted, now however it was all she could think of. She hadn't slept properly since that night; actually she hadn't slept at all! It was not exactly new for her to lose sleep because of bad memories or dreams but it _was _the first time she felt guilty for keeping it to herself. She had never spoken to anyone about her time with Mr. Black or more accurately his daughter, not a single person, not the therapist, her mom's or even the anger management coach the high school had assigned her to.

Keeping it from Rachel however was on a whole other level, something that felt intrinsically wrong…but she was _almost _certain, actually she was fucking one hundred percent certain that if the little diva knew the truth she would be horrified. She had lost track of the amount of times she had turned to Rachel with the truth on the tip of her tongue only to choke and change the subject at the last minute. Tearing her eyes away from where the diva in question was furiously scribbling down notes on something, she was watching, Quinn ran both hands down her face and took another long pull of the energy drink at her side. Deciding she needed to get out on the ice and wake herself up, she laced her skates on and figured running through the basics couldn't hurt. She looked up to see Rachel smiling at her fondly; winking back she couldn't help but grin at the light blush that spread across the brunette's cheeks before she winked back shyly.

Inhaling deeply, the blonde held her breath and tried to still the thoughts in her head the way Santana had tried to teach her. Exhaling, she then moved fluidly into her first spin. As she moved smoothly over the ice, skating from spin to jump to spin, she tried to concentrate on ideas for their next dance rather than where her mind kept trying to lead her. It worked for the majority of the time, until she looked over and caught Rachel staring at her. The brunette was watching her with an expression so full of love that it took her breath away; she was watching Quinn as though she were the most beautiful person in the world. At any other time the look would have filled the hockey player with the love and devotion it was intended to…but this time it did anything but. Instead images hit her one after the other, too fast to even think about attempting to block from her mind.

Lying flat on her back, one arm wrapped around her midriff, trying desperately to stop the burning agony in her stomach, knowing if she didn't finish she would only hurt more. A slim smoothly manicured hand gripping the hair on her head so hard she could feel roots tearing free as she was pushed violently downwards. The burn of a Tazer on the back of her neck, between her legs. The beautiful but cruelly impassive face sneering at her when she got things wrong and sighing in ecstasy when she got them right. The effect of this barrage of images was the same as a flurry of blows to the solar plexus and she felt the wind go out of her at the same time as her legs did. Dimly, she heard a horrified gasp behind her a millisecond before she hit the ice…_hard_, her hand awkwardly braced to try and prevent her head impacting the ice. It didn't work however and the next thing she felt was a stinging pain in both the wrist and her lip where it bounced off the rink floor as well as a dull throbbing ache in the base of her skull where her head had rebounded after hitting the ice.

"Quinn, _don't _move…just stay there, please! Will has gone to get the first aid kit, what happened?"

Swallowing and then wincing at the sadly familiar taste of blood in her mouth, she turned sideways and spat before easing herself carefully into a seated position despite Rachel's protestations.

"M'kay…slipped, stupid really."

It was only then, at that moment, that Rachel realised _just _how bad the bags under the hockey player's eyes were. Internally, she cursed herself for allowing Quinn's natural cheery outlook to distract her from realising how truly exhausted she was. Reaching out, she softly ran her hand through the ruffled blonde head and asked quietly.

"When was the last time you _actually _slept through the night?"

Unable to lie to Rachel (distraction methods were allowed, but lying…not so much), Quinn dropped her eyes to her polo shirt that was rapidly staining red from the split-lip, which was obviously deeper than she thought. If she also noticed that it was getting harder to keep a coherent thought in her head, she didn't acknowledge it as she tried to think how to answer.

"I…"

She was saved from having to answer when Will literally skidded over to join them, he passed Rachel a wad of bandages which she held against the hockey player's lip, eyes dark with concern. Will grimaced at the cut when he took a closer look and swallowed slightly before replacing the wad of bandages to the freely bleeding lip and turning his attention to her wrist. Luckily it wasn't swollen and moved well, ironically landing on it at an odd angle had probably been the best thing she could have done because it folded rather than break.

"I think we need to head to the emergency room Quinn, that cut definitely needs stitches."

Rachel was the first on her feet as she helped Quinn stand carefully. The hockey player had to admit that despite her diminutive size Rachel was strong as hell and right at that moment, she wouldn't have been able to get up if not for Rachel. Trying not to lean on her partner too heavily, she was only half aware of the conversation going on over her head.

"I'll take her to the hospital coach, you stay here and sort out the rink, if there's anything more serious from the fall I'll ring you okay?"

Will frowned, as coach it was really _his _responsibility to make sure his skaters were looked after and that included emergency hospital visits and he opened his mouth to say as much. That was the same moment however when he noticed that not only were Rachel's eyes filled with determination and stubborn insistence but _also_…a certain hint of pleading and so he sighed out loud and nodded instead.

"Okay, but you ring me as soon as you have been seen so I know what's going on and if you need anything else then you let me know, is that clear!"

Smiling with a mixture of relief and gratitude, Rachel nodded and proceeded to escort the dazed and incredibly quiet Quinn to the garage where her father's Jaguar was. Carefully, she helped the hockey player into the passenger seat and batted her hands away to buckle the seat belt herself before handing the blonde a fresh wad of bandages to press against the still bleeding lip. Quinn must have passed out or dozed off, hell maybe she even just zoned out but the next thing she was aware of they were on the road and Rachel was chewing the inside of her cheek nervously. Swallowing and trying not to gag at the metallic taste, the hockey player spoke as best she could through the makeshift compress.

"Dun worry…s'just a cut…kay?"

Darting a glance to the side, the little diva smiled softly and then sighed.

"I'm not worried about the cut you big dork…I'm worried about _you_."

Whether it was the exhaustion that was finally crashing down around the blonde's ears or some sort of delayed shock from the fall Quinn didn't know, but it took her a while to process Rachel's words.

"Um…m'kay, told ya."

Smiling tremulously, Rachel just shook her head, not trusting herself to speak at that moment. Even with a lip that was literally pouring blood and obviously fighting off some sort of concussion, the hockey player could only worry about her! She tried not to jump slightly when Quinn moved closer so she could lay a gentle hand on Rachel's jean clad thigh.

"Honest injun!"

The childish proclamation spoken in such a grave manner caused the brunette skater to let out a half laugh half sob and she reached down with one hand to grasp at Quinn's.

"Shh, you should be resting Gretzky."

Letting out a little huff of dismissal that was nonetheless tinged with acquiescence, the hockey player settled down next to Rachel on the seat.

"Kay, love you Princess…I know I shouldn't but I do."

Rachel sucked her lower lip into her mouth and worried it between her teeth as she fought a brief but furious internal battle with herself. On the one hand it would be wrong of her to ask Quinn any questions now, as she was obviously tired, hurting and more than likely concussed. However it was probably the best time to ask simply because it felt like she would get the truth, and she also needed to keep the blonde awake and conversation seemed the best way to do that…or at least that was the justification she gave herself.

"Why shouldn't you love me Quinn?"

The blonde frowned for a long moment as if she couldn't quite remember herself and then she smiled (or tried to, it turned into more of a grimace as fresh blood spilled out) and turned to look over at Rachel.

"Because you're like…pretty and made of the best things like in that rhyme…bout sugar and spice n'stuff? And I'm not a boy but…I'm made of bad stuff, s'why no one wanted me…y'see?"

She nodded solemnly as though she was revealing the secret to the universe and beside her Rachel's heart ached, it didn't _just _hurt, it ached terribly for the girl Quinn had been and the adult who still struggled to accept love into her life, always thinking herself unworthy.

"You…are made of nice stuff as well Gretzky, remember the cactus? It just took someone special to find you, and now that I have I'm not letting you go again so just sit there and relax okay?"

Sighing happily, apparently mollified by Rachel's words, Quinn settled back into her seat, after a moments silence where the little diva swallowed down her tears and concentrated hard on the road, Quinn spoke again.

"So…does that mean we can do a Batman dance?"

Rachel smiled in genuine amusement at that and chuckled as she recalled the You tube video Quinn had shown her two days ago. She had known something was up when the hockey player waltzed over with that crooked grin of hers, one hand tucked in her back pocket and the other holding her iPad.

"We are not dancing to 'Moves like Batman' firstly it's a parody and secondly I don't think it would translate well to the ice…though I _may _let you revisit your James Bond idea, I was researching some of the music earlier."

Despite their current lack of coordination, Quinn's pupils nonetheless tried to widen happily at that news and the hockey player grinned.

"Cool, I think I'd be pretty good at skating in a Tux…can't tie a bow tie though?"

She murmured the last part thoughtfully causing Rachel to chuckle again.

"I'm pretty sure I can help you with that, got enough practice with my dad's."

They spent the rest of the relatively short drive to the hospital talking about the possibility of various Bond theme songs as performance pieces. Once they pulled up outside the Accident and Emergency entrance, Rachel once again found herself slapping away Quinn's hand as the blonde tried to unbuckle her seat belt without letting go of the compress. Helping her out of the car they made their way inside and Rachel filled out the paperwork, while she was at the receptionist's desk handing it over, Quinn was busily discussing superheroes with a couple of kids dressed in Superman T-shirts.

"Yeah but what you have to remember, is that Superman was born with powers whereas Batman is just a regular guy like you guys and he trained hard."

The younger of the two boys scratched his head and frowned.

"So _I _could be a Batman?"

Quinn grinned then winced again.

"Totally…but only after lots of training, and of course you'd need to be able to drive a car."

The conversation then turned to cars and Rachel rolled her eyes at the boy's' mother indulgently as she fetched a can of soda and a straw for the blonde. Luckily they were called in fairly swiftly and as Will had feared, the cut did indeed require stitches, nearly twenty in fact. And as Rachel had feared a concussion was confirmed and the blonde found herself being shown to a bed so they could observe her for forty- eight hours. As soon as she realised what was going on, she tried to protest but Rachel was having none of it.

"Gretzky hush! You hit that hard head of yours and despite your statements to the contrary, you are _not _indestructible."

Pouting slightly, Quinn accepted the pair of scrubs that the nurse handed her to sleep in for the time being and she proceeded to start changing. Flustered, Rachel turned her back and started to walk towards the door but the hockey player's quiet voice stopped her.

"Can you…help me please?"

Rachel closed her eyes for a moment at the thought that concussed Quinn was letting her get away with a lot that conscious Quinn never would. However she couldn't walk away from that voice and so she turned and walked back over slowly.

"Are you sure, you normally like privacy when you change sweetie?"

It was something she had known and acknowledged a long time ago, they had never talked about it but there was an unspoken agreement that the hockey player always changed in private. Rachel had always found it slightly ironic that while _she_, who had no physical experience of being with someone else, was far more open when it came to her body than the brash blonde. At this point however, Quinn just yawned tiredly and rubbed at her eyes with the heels of her hands like a child would.

"I know cos…m'ugly but m'really _really _tired now and I need some help."

Her words were oddly factual and Rachel swallowed hard as she reached out to grip the hem of the stained polo shirt with a shaky breath.

"Quinn…look at me, please?"

After a moment, Rachel gently lifted the polo shirt off making sure to avoid the freshly stitched lip and sore head. The blonde flinched but maintained eye contact with the brunette, her hands clenched at her sides in an effort not to cover herself. Once the shirt was off, Rachel reached out and gently cupped the blondes face between her hands as she looked down at what Quinn had been keeping from her. It wasn't apparent at first as her front had miraculously remained unscathed but the edges of red twisted strips of scar tissue were just visible wrapping around from her back and shoulders. Swallowing hard, the brunette fought to keep the gentle smile on her face even as tears fell from her eyes.

"You are _not _ugly Quinn, do you remember what you said to me on the day of our competition?"

Shaking her head ever so slightly, Quinn reached out to wipe the tears from the diva's cheeks, sniffing and letting out a small chuckle, Rachel carried on speaking as she let her hands fall down to rest on the strong shoulders.

"You told me that I would never lose my beauty because it came from within, well guess what Gretzky? The same applies to you and no matter how you see yourself you need to understand something very important."

Quinn tilted her head to one side and waited, smiling softly the brunette slid her hands so they were cupping the hockey player's shoulders and she pulled her into a hug, waiting for those calloused hands to reciprocate and almost weeping with relief when they hesitantly did so.

"I will never see you as anything other than beautiful Quinn, no matter what has happened to you or what you have done, you will always look the same in my eyes, you will always be loved."

Although she heard nothing in terms of sobs or breathing, she felt the dampness of tears on her cheek and closing her eyes, Rachel held Quinn tightly to her as she allowed her hands to trace the puckered skin that littered the hockey players back. They stood that way for a while, neither knew how long before it occurred to the little diva that she needed to get Quinn into bed before she fell asleep on her feet. Pulling away gently, she helped the skater off with her jeans and socks and then into the scrubs, it took a bit more effort to get her into the bed as Quinn was reluctant to stay in a hospital and given what she had just seen and felt with her own hands, Rachel could understand why. However, eventually the blonde settled down and Rachel stayed with her till she finally gave in to the combined efforts of the exhaustion and painkillers. At that point, Rachel fired off a quick text to Will and then debated her next move carefully, it would either strengthen the burgeoning relationship she had with the hockey player or damage it…maybe irreparably.

She knew that once she woke up and the fuzziness of the concussion had dissipated, Quinn would instinctively try and pull away from Rachel, scared that the revelations she had let slip would cause Rachel to hate her…or worse pity her. And so she would pull her attitude on like a cloak and push everyone away to prove that she was the hard ass that she thought everyone expected her to be. So Rachel had to act fast, to try and head off that behaviour before it even started, not only for the sake of the relationship between the two of them but for Quinn's sake. Although the blonde would deny it with her dying breath she _needed _help, she needed to talk to someone, to vent and confide in. And as much as it hurt, Rachel knew that for now at least, it couldn't be her, she really, really wished she could be the one, and in time they _would _confide all in each other…but for now she needed someone outside of their relationship. Taking a deep breath, she got out her phone and scrolling through the contacts found the one she wanted…needed.

Who the bloody hell was whistling, she had the headache to end all headaches, her mouth was killing her and some freaking _idiot _had broken into her chalet to whistle cheerfully? Something about that thought didn't feel quite right and the blonde decided to see if she could pick up any other audible clues around her. Cutlery sounds, horrible medicinal smell and mechanical beeping…well, shit! As it dawned on her that she was in fact in a hospital bed, her eyes flew open and she sat bolt upright. Or at least she tried to sit upright but the lancing pain in her head put a stop to that and she fell back down panting and swearing a blue streak. Seconds later, there were strong hands helping her to sit up and pressing a glass of water into one hand and pills into the other. Opening her eyes enough to see what she was doing, Quinn downed the painkillers and then settled back before finally opening her eyes fully…and swearing again in shock.

"What the fuck are _you _doing here San?"

Rolling her eyes at the colourful greeting, the Latina just sat back down and placed her bookmark into the copy of Hunger Games she was reading. Cracking her knuckles, she looked at Quinn for a long moment before speaking.

"The midget had a fit when you face planted on the ice…she wanted one of us at home to know in case you'd had fainting spells before or something. I told her that the only time you got like this was when you weren't sleeping and being stubborn about it…am I right?"

It wasn't entirely the truth but for now _that _could remain between Santana and Rachel, scowling, or at least attempting to, the hockey player gingerly touched her swollen lip and looked down at the bedcovers before shrugging one shoulder like a sulky child.

"Q, don't even _try _and pull this shit with me, I know you too well, and you know that you shouldn't have been on the ice if you were that damn tired…what the hell were you thinking!"

Narrowing her eyes, Quinn crossed her arms angrily.

"Sod off Santana! This is competition level skating, I can't just take a day off because I got less than the required six hours of sleep."

Completely un-phased by her sister's language or attitude, the Latina just waved a hand vaguely.

"I see, and what would you be saying to justify yourself if you had dropped Rachel and it was her in the hospital and not you…all because you were too fucking proud to admit you weren't sleeping?"

Opening her mouth to argue on instinct, Quinn stopped when her sister's words actually registered with her. Closing her mouth, she swallowed and looked away before running a hand through her hair in agitation.

"I…it's just that it's nothing new you know? I just thought maybe if I kept going things would adjust to be normal again, and I wouldn't have risked a lift feeling like this, I can't risk hurting Rachel like that."

Santana tilted her head to one side and looked thoughtful.

"But you _can _risk hurting your self…is that it?"

The hockey player turned to pour herself more water while she tried to work out why the Latina was pushing her so hard this time. Normally when she'd been an idiot, Santana would mock her for it, maybe roughly growl that she needed to buck her ideas up but this was different…she was pressing this time and Quinn wasn't altogether sure she was ready to go where the Latina wanted her to.

"Look, I'm sorry okay I don't know what else you want me to say! I'll apologise to Rachel and coach, but frankly it's got nothing to _do _with you."

She was surprised when she heard a snort from the direction of the chair the Latina was lounging in.

"Sorry but I'm calling bullshit on that Q, you're my freaking sister and something's bothering you, it has been for a long time now but this is different. You're just starting to feel happy, you have Rachel, a career…is it really worth losing all that to hold onto whatever this is?"

Swallowing more than just the water in her mouth, Quinn blew out a shuddering breath and lay back against the pillow closing her eyes. She was silent for so long that Santana thought she had gone back to sleep and so started lightly in the chair when the quiet voice broke the silence.

"No…it's not worth losing all that but I also don't want to lose what I already have, and you might…people will see me differently once they know."

Santana shifted in her seat before replying.

"Q bear, listen…seeing someone differently isn't always a bad thing and I can promise you that whatever it is I'll listen, I mean _properly _listen not my usual listen like when mom is lecturing us on language. I mean…however it came about we _are _sisters now and that won't be changing, no matter _how _much you try and shake me off."

At the last ten or so words, the two of them ended up smirking at each other when Quinn re opened her eyes.

"Lopez, you're a pain in my butt you know that?"

Grinning, the Latina shrugged her shoulders expansively and then chuckled slightly before getting up and handing the blonde her Batman gown.

"Come on…the nurse says you're fine to be up and about, they think you might even be able to leave tonight instead of tomorrow. So let's get some air and a decent drink, and maybe you'll spill some of the crap floating round in your head."

Sliding her arms into the sleeves of the robe, the blonde let Santana lead her down the hospital corridor and towards the little cafeteria, the Latina settled Quinn into a corner that was almost a private annexe, it was so far from the rest of the room and then disappeared to get the drinks. The hockey player grinned widely when she saw the large chocolate milk and package of peanut butter cups that Santana had chosen for her.

"Just _don't _tell the midget, she thinks you eat too much crap already, she's right of course. In fact, if you and short stack ever need a sponsor, you should definitely contact Reese's."

Rolling her eyes at that (and secretly filing away the suggestion for later consideration), Quinn hastily unwrapped a peanut butter cup and ate it with an almost indecent moan. Santana laughed at the sound that issued forth from her sister and shook her head as she sipped her soda.

"So…you wanna off load on me then Q bear?"

Swallowing her mouthful, the hockey player's smile dimmed somewhat and she drained half her chocolate milk before belching not so delicately.

"I'm…trying yeah, it's just hard, I know you say that sometimes it's a good thing to see someone in a different light but…I don't want you looking at me like I'm a piece of trash."

She mumbled the last few words and Santana debated internally for a minute or so before leaning closer and speaking in a low but intense voice, making sure she held the hazel eyes with her own.

"Listen, I'm telling you this because I know you need to off load whatever's keeping you awake at night and I know you're worried about how I might see you. We never really talked about what led us all into being fostered but here goes…in high school I was scared, scared of being myself, of admitting I was gay and so I did whatever it took to prove I wasn't. I slept with any guy that even looked sideways at me and gradually it started to destroy me on the inside. Anyway one night I was at a party, it was a big thing for me because it was a senior party and I was a sophomore. I'd gotten the invite due to being on the cheer squad but the Captain could see I was nervous and she wanted to 'relax' me, that's when I got my first hit of cocaine."

She paused and took a few more sips of her drink as she watched Quinn absorb what she was saying, after a moment the blonde nodded slightly and waited for the older girl to continue.

"After that it inevitably got worse, whenever I snorted that fucking white powder, the lie I was living became so much easier to cope with. Eventually as I'm sure you can guess it got _so _out of hand I was stealing from my parents to fund the habit, my studies were suffering and my reputation…well let's just say it got a hell of a lot worse than it would have been if I'd just admitted to being gay. I lost my position on the cheer squad, got kicked out of school and ended up on my knees in back alleys willing to blow strangers just to get the next hit."

Quinn found it hard to breathe all of a sudden at the realisation that Santana's stoicism; her failure to be worried by the little things and her blatant dislike of Quinn's party girl lifestyle was explained. Breaking eye contact for a moment, the hockey player wiped the back of her hand hastily across her eyes and unwrapped another peanut butter cup, more for something to do rather than from any real hunger. She looked back up when the Latina's hand reached across and lightly brushed the pad of her thumb over the swollen cut lip.

"I'm telling you this because I need you to understand that I don't, _won't _judge you or anyone else for what you had to do to survive Q bear."

Smiling shakily, the blonde reached out and lightly punched the Latina's shoulder.

"You haven't called me that since we used to spend nights out in the tree house with me teaching you how to play poker and telling you what the universe was made of."

Smiling back, the Latina bit half of the peanut butter cup Quinn had just unwrapped and shrugged.

"Yeah well, you told me you hated it because it made you feel like a kid…but the way you slept, _when _you eventually slept, always reminded me of a bear in hibernation. Curled up in a ball and growling if anyone tried to wake you up before you were ready."

That made Quinn chuckle then wince and put the back of her hand against her lip; worried she might have split the stitches. After checking they were fine, she rolled her eyes and settled back for a moment before debating internally with herself. When she started to speak, Santana had to lean forward in order to hear the almost mumbling of the hockey player.

"When I came to you guys it was from the children's home, and before that, kinda like you, I was living on the street. I know that maybe you know a little bit because of the stuff you overheard about my father but…it wasn't him that I ran away from to end up on the street."

Santana just waited patiently while Quinn ordered her thoughts and took a few more mouthfuls of the rapidly dwindling chocolate milkshake in front of her. As she thought Santana motioned to a passing waitress and murmured a request for more drinks, tea this time though. By the time the hockey player was ready to speak again, there were two mugs of chamomile tea in front of them and Quinn smiled slightly at Santana ordering the same drink her mom's used to calm her when she was upset. Slowly but haltingly, she told the Latina of the way her father had used her to cheat at poker and how the main man behind the closed doors illegal games had called him out on it…and how to avoid a beating, he had literally sold Quinn to the guy in exchange for the debt he had run up by cheating. Santana swallowed down her instinctual anger, sensing that any emotional outburst right now would cause the blonde to shut down.

"That much I told Rachel about, I was honest about it when she asked about my dad but I never told anyone anything more than that."

Toying with the handle of her tea cup, the Latina made herself take a level breath so she could ask what she wanted to in a normal tone.

"Did he…I mean, were you abused by him, the guy who took you?"

At the question Quinn's head shot up and she looked towards her sister for a long moment before smiling slightly.

"No, as far as he was concerned I was a tool, nothing more than a calculator to be used to find out if anyone within his organisation was stealing from him. Apart from looking over the books he pretty much ignored me…it was his _daughter _that didn't."

Pausing the hockey player blew out a breath and forced her hands to remain steady enough to take several sips of the honey- flavoured herbal tea before she continued.

"She was…I don't know, about twenty three, twenty four maybe? Around that age at any rate. He ignored her apart from letting her have anything she wanted so she stayed out of his hair. So when she demanded that I stay by her side at all times I wasn't needed by him he agreed immediately, after all if I wasn't working what other use did I have?"

Santana could feel her heart beating faster but she forced herself to remain calm and modulate her voice when she asked quietly.

"How old were you Quinn?"

The blonde looked thoughtful as she tried to work it out in her head.

"I was nine when the guy took me from my dad in trade…and for the first couple of years I was with him I kept myself out of sight. I suppose, maybe, I was around thirteen when she noticed me, by that time he had realised I was no threat to anyone there and I was allowed to wander around so long as I stayed out from under and came when he called."

The Latina nodded realising how important it was that they kept the tone of the conversation casual rather than emotional. They both knew it was hard but if they acted as though it were just a regular conversation, at least at first, then Quinn would be able to get through it.

"So yeah…for the next few years when I wasn't working, I was at her beck and call, she made me clean for her, do her essays for some correspondence degree she was doing, take the blame for her when she did something wrong and therefore take the punishment. But even that was…well, I could cope, it was definitely no worse than living with my dad and despite the beatings it was actually _better _because at least I was fed, clothed and receiving an education. It didn't stay like that though, shortly after I turned fourteen, or at least when I _think _I turned fourteen, she decided that my education needed to expand biologically."

This time despite her best efforts Quinn's hands were shaking badly as she wrapped them around the cup of tea. Santana said nothing but she did reach out and wrap her own hands around the hockey player's helping to ease the shaking, flashing a quick smile Quinn carried on.

"I remember you asking me once how I was so good at pleasing women, how I knew everything I did, well…that's why, she 'trained' me as she called it. I'm not proud of how I know what I know San, it was learnt because every time I made a mistake she fucking hit me with a Tazer, a modified one her 'daddy dearest' had given her."

The Latina still said nothing but where her hands were covering Quinn's, she moved them so she could link her own slim fingers around the shaking calloused ones of the hockey player.

"Let it out Q bear…come on."

The almost whispered words of encouragement were exactly what Quinn needed and as she had already divulged the majority of what she had to say she could see no sense in keeping back the last of it.

"I…did what I had to do because she made it too painful _not _to and I thought that if I could just keep her happy then maybe my virginity would be the one thing I could keep for myself, that I could stop anyone from taking it from me in…that way."

Pausing to take a deep breath, she carried on.

"But she found out I was still a virgin and she _wanted _it…she just assumed that given my background I had been used and abused in every way possible, the way her eyes lit up when she realised there was still something I had managed to keep precious…well, it made me sick."

Unable to keep the emotion out of her voice any longer, Quinn closed her eyes and spoke carefully as she finally revisited that particular memory in full.

"_Wait…are you telling me that no one has ever…you're still a __**virgin**__?"_

_Fourteen-year-old Quinn swallowed harshly and ran a hand through her sweat matted hair, trying not to retch at the smell of Laura all over her hands and mouth. Her breasts were still throbbing in agony after the Tazer had been held against them for failing to pick up on the correct audible cue earlier. Hazel eyes darted around the room as she tried to concoct a convincing lie, wishing she had never reacted when the dark haired Greek beauty had touched her…there. _

"_I…it was…"_

_The words stuck in her throat and the statuesque woman stalked across the room and wrapped her hand in Quinn's hair tightly as she used it to pull her half off the mattress._

"_Don't fucking lie to me you little bitch!"_

_The hissing and heavily accented voice caused a shiver to ripple down the teen's naked spine and she dropped her eyes._

"_No…no one has taken that, I'm…still a virgin."_

_The words came out thick, choked with self-__loathing at being forced to surrender the last thing she held precious in her fucked up life. The grip in her hair relaxed and for one very small, very hopeful moment the blonde's heart leapt as she embraced the vague hope that this would elicit some kind of sympathy in the young woman with the cold eyes. She couldn't have been more wrong and she found herself winded as she was thrown back down onto the mattress._

"_Well, I think it only fair that you give that to __**me **__then, after all I have taught you, it's the least you can do for me."_

_Panic shot through Quinn at the look in the ice blue eyes and she reacted before she could think about it, leaping from the bed with a strangled yell._

"_NO!"_

_As soon as the words left her lips, she knew she had made a mistake, a fucking terrible mistake as she watched those snake eyes narrow dangerously. In three quick strides Laura was across the room, one hand gripping the teen by the throat while the other held that cursed Tazer, flicking the switch idly on and off._

"_.!"_

_Ashamed and angered by the tears slipping from her eyes, Quinn refused to look at the woman as she mumbled an apology. An apology that obviously fell far short of the mark as she shortly after found herself flying into the side of the vanity table, she heard and felt something snap in her chest and gasped for breath as the white hot lance of pain stole all the oxygen from her body. She barely had time to register what was happening before she felt the familiar electrical pain course through her system as the Tazer was applied to the back of her neck until she blacked out. When she came to again it was only a little while later as the sun had barely moved across the sky. What had changed though was the fact that she was now spread-eagled face down on the bed and unable to move. She couldn't stop the instinct that caused her to yank on and test the ropes that held her fast to all four bedposts. The abrupt movement obviously alerted the Grecian beauty that she was awake again and she felt the warm skin flat against her back moments before the sharp teeth bit deeply into her shoulder, piercing the skin._

"_About fucking time you little bitch…I was going to take it easy at first, well, relatively easy anyway, but that was before you decided to keep this from me and then try and deny me what's rightfully mine!"_

_Trying not to cry at the pain radiating from the bleeding bite wound and from the knowledge of the pain she was sure was about to happen, Quinn tried to keep her breathing even. She could feel the smooth soft leather and cold brass buckles of the harness that Laura more usually made her wear and she couldn't help the reflexive swallow. That caused the woman hovering behind her to laugh loudly._

"_Oh don't worry, it's not the same cock, like I'd use mine on __**your **__sweet virgin ass, I need something a little bigger to stretch you."_

_Quinn pulled futilely against the ropes and tried not to whimper._

"_Please do struggle, it will make it all the more fun for me, I like it when you scream you little bitch."_

_Before the blonde could register what was going on, let alone do anything about it, she felt something round thick and cold with lubrication push against her opening. She tried to clench or move away; all to no avail and the next sensation was a deep searing pain as Laura pushed into her hard and fast. As much as she didn't want to give the woman the satisfaction of crying out, she couldn't have stopped the scream even if she tried. Behind her all she heard was laughter and all she felt was the pain growing more intense as Laura continued to thrust in and out of her powerfully, the pain only getting worse as the large phallus stretched her. Eventually she felt the woman behind her shudder in release and still, panting breathlessly. Quinn was in agony and just grateful it was over, sobbing in pain as Laura finally pulled the toy from within her, the blonde let her forehead hit the pillow under her face and tried not to cry, at least it was over…until it wasn't._

"_That's the first part done…but I still need to tear up that ass of yours, I'm going to ruin you for anyone else you whore, and you're going to thank me for it, understood!"_

_Too wracked with pain to speak Quinn could only shudder, this wasn't answer enough for the young woman behind her who promptly shoved the Tazer where the toy had just been and yelled._

"_ANSWER ME!" _

_As soon as the device was removed the blonde forced herself to reply between sobs._

"_Yes!…I'm sorry, I'm sorry…thank you."_

_Laura didn't reply just left the bed momentarily and when she returned the phallus was slicked up once again and she moved it to the blonde's ass. Quinn just gripped the ropes holding her fast and bit her lip hard enough to make it bleed as a pain she had never felt before ripped through her fast and hard. Laura was no gentler with her ass than she had been with her pussy and it was a mixed blessing when she finally passed out from the pain._

Blinking rapidly to clear the memories from her mind, or try to at least, Quinn slipped her hands from Santana's and drained the last of the now lukewarm brew on the table. Santana was using every method she knew of and some she had to make up on the spot to stop herself from demanding to know where these people were and how the hell she could make them bleed. Instead she swallowed the last of her own tea and rubbing her temples with a forefinger and thumb, trying to ease away the headache she could now feel building.

"Why…did all this come up now? I mean…if you have lived with this so long Q bear what happened to make you think about it so hard again?"

The Latina was pleased when her voice came out level and without any of the bone deep rage she felt inside. Quinn sat back in her seat, wincing slightly at the pain in her lip as she tried to smile.

"Rach and I snuck off the night of the celebration party, she did something really sweet for me, kinda stupid but it meant a lot to me and we went for a walk afterwards…anyway, I wanted her to know that despite this reputation of mine, I hadn't let any of them touch me. Naturally she then asked if I was a virgin which brought it all back, and that's why I haven't been sleeping because every time I try all I see is…_her_."

Shifting in her seat, Santana split the last peanut butter cup in half and shared it with Quinn in silence for a while. Then she decided to ask the sixty million dollar question and hope that the blonde wouldn't shut down on her.

"So…why didn't you tell her, go to her and talk about how you weren't sleeping and why?"

Looking around the hospital café that was swiftly becoming busier, Quinn shoved her hands into her robe pocket and muttered quietly.

"I don't want her to…know that I'm damaged ya know? She's just, she's everything I'm _not _and sometimes, well okay, a lot recently, I wonder why the hell she's with me and if I'm keeping her from someone better."

The Latina smiled softly and waited until she could catch the red rimmed hazel eyes, which were darting all around the room nervously.

"Listen up kiddo, there is no way that even if she heard all of that, Rachel would walk away from you. That girl is head over heels in love with you, I think even if you had killed someone she would stick by your side. When the time comes to tell her, and I think you should, because believe me when I say a relationship can't survive if you hide the big stuff. Be honest, about everything including how you feel, let her reassure you…she loves you Q bear, as in the whole happily ever after deal."

Smiling slightly, Quinn wiped her eyes hastily and heaved herself to her feet, whether it was a side effect of the concussion or the emotional crash after having finally unloaded onto someone she didn't know but she was exhausted. They started the walk back to the hospital room in silence, both lost in their own thoughts, Quinn settled back into the bed and actually found herself hoping she could stay till tomorrow now, she suddenly felt like she could sleep.

"I'm still a total badass though right?"

At the half amused, half shaky question the Latina smirked and rolled her eyes.

"After _me _you're the biggest badass in the world Fabray."

The eyebrow of doom arched upwards and despite the yawn that almost detracted from the mock glare, Quinn ground out.

"Second to _you_? In your dreams Lopez!"

Santana stayed sat in the chair next to the hockey player's bed bantering back and forth over why they were the biggest badass ever born. Right up until the Dr showed up to check the blonde over carefully, he declared that one more night in hospital should be fine, more out of a concern for the exhaustion that had caused the accident than the concussion that had resulted from it. By the time the Latina left, Quinn was already half asleep again, partly from exhaustion and partly from the painkillers she was given to combat the persistent headache. Santana's easy stride changed swiftly to an almost stomp as she made her way out of the hospital, her head was swimming with anger and rage as she thought about the terrified fourteen-year-old her sister had been at the time. She just made it outside to the garden area in front of the hospital before she threw up the little she'd eaten that day violently. She felt gentle hands rubbing her back and wondered who the hell she had managed to embarrass herself in front of. Knowing her luck it would be some drop dead gorgeous model, not that she was looking but hey…she was only human! As soon as she finished throwing up, she accepted the tissue that was passed to her and wiped her mouth, grimacing at the taste.

"Thanks, I'm sorry about that…food poisoning maybe?"

Standing up, she was surprised to find it was Rachel of all people, the diva looked concerned and sympathetic at the same time and Santana realised her excuse of food poisoning probably wouldn't fly. Sighing, the Latina motioned with her head towards the bench and once they were both sat down she got right to the point.

"We talked, you were right she needed someone to talk to and it was about your conversation the other night."

Chewing on her lower lip worriedly, the little diva swung her feet and then nodded slightly.

"Is she…okay?"

Rubbing her face roughly with both hands, Santana smiled grimly.

"Considering the shit she's been through she's fucking more okay than anyone could expect…I swear to God if I ever get my hands on…"

She forced herself to stop and clenched her hands on the edge of the bench; it wasn't her place to tell Rachel what had happened to Quinn, as much as she found she wanted to. Not because she wanted to shock or horrify the diva but because she wanted her to know just how amazing Quinn was. Instead she just took a long breath and calmed herself before speaking again.

"It wasn't your fault Rachel, it's something she needed to get off her chest and oddly I think now that she has, she might be easier to live with for a bit. She will tell you eventually and when she does just…be gentle with her okay?"

Nodding hurriedly, Rachel rushed to reassure the distraught Latina that she would never be anything but, Santana stopped her with a raised hand and smiling slightly patted the little skater on the leg awkwardly.

"Just…let her be herself for a while okay? If that means acting like nothing happened then let it slide, all you need to know is it isn't you or the fact her feelings have changed, when she is able to tell you she will do, but that's a conversation for you guys…thank you though, for calling me."

Smiling slightly, Rachel shrugged and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"I knew if she was going to be able to tell anyone it would be you, you two are close, a lot closer than you like other people or even each other to think you are."

Grumbling something, the Latina jut huffed and rolled her eyes causing Rachel to chuckle, after a moments silence, she couldn't help herself from asking just one question however.

"Why now though, I mean why has it come back after all this time?"

Leaning back in the bench, Santana glanced at Rachel and grinned.

"Well that is your fault, but in a good way, like she told you herself, before you came along she was all about the wham bam thank you ma'am. But now it's serious, she wants the whole nine yards with you kiddo, wedding, kids…god what a scary thought, miniature Fabray's."

She mock shuddered and found herself needing to duck the swipe Rachel aimed at her arm with a playful glare.

"I happen to think the world could only be improved with more Fabray's! But I think I see what you mean, before it didn't matter because she knew the women were never going to be a permanent fixture in her life…but I will be, or I _hope _I will be anyway."

Santana snorted as she patted her pockets searching for a mint to take away the lingering taste of vomit.

"Oh _trust _me, you two are joined at the hip now, it's all done bar the formalities."

Rachel looked thoughtful at that and drummed her fingers on her knee before getting a certain light in her eyes. It was not one that Santana had seen before and she was suddenly glad, because it reminded her immediately of the cunning expression she often saw in Dave's eyes when he had one of his matchmaking schemes.

"Um…_whatever _you're thinking Berry, I want no part of it!"

Rachel huffed and swept her hair back dramatically before speaking.

"How do you know I was even thinking of asking you? I mean admittedly a little help would be good, you do after all know Quinn much better than me."

Finally locating a stick of gum, the Latina folded it into her mouth and with a groan, stood up hands held out to the side in surrender.

"No, I need to get home to Brit and unless I'm mistaken, you were on your way up to visit the invalid, though she was finally sleeping when I came down."

Huffing irritably, Rachel folded her arms and pouted, Santana rolled her eyes and managed two more backwards steps before she caved.

"Ugh! Damn it midget what do you _need_, and this is the last time you get to use that pout on me for at least a month, deal?"

The pout abruptly turned into a bright smile and leaping to her feet, Rachel clapped her hands together delightedly as she linked an arm with Santana to walk her to her car.

"Now I don't want much, just a few hints on what you think might be Quinn's ideal date!"

Face palming, Santana wondered why the hell she kept letting herself get dragged into these things. However as she took in the bright light in the little diva's eyes as she spoke excitedly and thought about how much Quinn was willing to lay on the line for her, she found she didn't mind at all.

The next morning Quinn was waiting, dressed in the clean jeans and hoody that Rachel had left for her the day before. Sadly she had slept through the brunette's entire visit but she had woken to a note on her bedside along with a food parcel, sadly a healthy one but it was still better than hospital food and a little stuffed turtle she recognised (making a mental note to yell at her moms later for spilling the beans about Urtle she nonetheless grinned at the little Blackhawks jersey someone had brought for him). Her lip was no longer swollen but was a nice shade of purpley blue, she was examining it in the mirror whilst trying to get her hair to stop sticking up in all directions when Rachel walked in.

"Hey there Gretzky, you look gorgeous as always so stop primping."

Smiling carefully, Quinn turned to face her and walking over slowly wrapped her arms around the diva and pulled her close.

"It's good to see you Princess, I'm sorry I slept through you being here yesterday, I was sort of tired…well, _really _tired actually, I'm sorry I didn't tell you about not sleeping."

Rachel halted the mumbled apologies as she reached up on her tiptoes and pressed a very soft kiss to the hockey player's upper lip.

"Shush now, you don't need to apologise to me, though you _do _need to promise me you won't do it again, you scared me Gretzky."

Returning the kiss to Rachel's full lips, Quinn moved her head to the side so she could inhale the comforting scent of the diva's shampoo and held her as close as humanly possible.

"I promise, next time I can't sleep I'll let you know, does that sound good to you?"

Pulling back so she could look into Quinn's eyes, Rachel tilted her head to one side and moved one hand up to try and smooth down the wild locks as she spoke.

"Actually no, I have a better idea."

Raising an eyebrow, Quinn watched as the brunette reached into the pocket of her trousers and pulled out a silver door key on a plastic key fob shaped like a hockey puck that made the blonde smirk. Pressing the key into the calloused hand of the hockey player, Rachel took hold of the front of the hoody with both hands and smiled softly.

"That is the key to the back door of what you refer to as the Spencer Mansion and what I refer to as my house. When you can't sleep, you are to promise me that you will use that key and come and lie down with me, if you can't sleep then I would at least like you to be where I can keep an eye on you and make sure you at least eat a decent breakfast…now is _that _a deal?"

Looking between the key and the serious expression on her girlfriend's face, Quinn smiled softly and tucked the key into her pocket before resting her forehead on the little diva's. Letting out a breath, she took one of Rachel's hands and placed it on her heart then placed one of hers on the brunette's before speaking.

"I swear that when I cannot sleep I will come over to the Spencer Mansion and tuck my cold nose into your neck and slide my cold hands across your belly…how does that sound?"

Raising an eyebrow at the challenge, Rachel just smirked back and kissed the tip of Quinn's nose before whispering.

"Sound's fantastic to me Gretzky, sounds fantastic to me."

Trailing off, she pulled the hockey player into a very careful, very soft but incredibly heartfelt kiss. One day they would talk about exactly what had happened to Quinn and why she had trouble sleeping. Then, Rachel would reassure her for as long as she needed to, but for now they were happy at the compromise they had reached…cold hands and noses included!


	16. Chapter 16

Quinn's stubborn streak lasted exactly two and a half nights before she found herself using the brand new door key that Rachel had given her. Sleep was being as illusive as ever and unlike the previous two occasions, she knew she wouldn't be able to weather a third restless night. Not without a certain amount of reluctance, Quinn threw the duvet off and scowled tiredly before grabbing up her coat and slipping her feet into her unlaced sneakers. Stifling a yawn, she stared thoughtfully at the key (that always sat on her night stand) still in two minds as to whether she should use it or not, eventually she sighed and snatched it up. Before she could over think the decision any more, she left the chalet and started the short walk up to the Spencer mansion. Whether it was the lack of sleep or her own big kid mentality she didn't know but she couldn't help thinking that she should at least be armed in order to face the oncoming horde of zombies. Rolling her eyes with a self- depreciating smirk, she slid the key into the back door, she was glad of her infallible memory as she made her way very quietly up to the brunette whirlwind's bedroom. Easing the door open as quietly as humanly possible, she slipped in and eased it closed behind her, toeing her feet out of the battered sneakers, she stood for a long moment, just watching the easy rise and fall of the diva's chest as she slept. Scratching her nose, Quinn shifted from foot to foot awkwardly and debated just leaving again, no matter what Rachel had said and what she herself had agreed to, she couldn't bring herself to disturb the brunette's sleep. She literally had one shoe back on and one still off when Rachel's sleepy voice sounded from under the duvet.

"Gretzky, get your ass under the covers already."

Quinn found she wasn't at all surprised to realise that the brunette was in fact awake and aware of her presence, Rachel Berry was a lot sneakier than people gave her credit for being. Shaking her head slightly, the hockey player removed her sneaker again and hesitantly slid onto the bed, Rachel was having none of the hesitation however and lifting up the duvet, waited until the blonde joined her properly under the covers. Surrounded by the scent of her girlfriend, Quinn felt her eyelids drooping already and when Rachel reached out for her, she willingly allowed the embrace settling against the diva's front happily, for once more than happy to be the little spoon.

"So…how long were you waiting for me?"

Surprised by the tone of timidity in her own question, Quinn cleared her throat, as if sensing the blonde's discomfort, Rachel squeezed her reassuringly and pressed a gentle kiss to the hockey player's shoulder.

"Since I gave you the key, I know how stubborn you are Gretzky…I was going to give you till the end of the week before I had my dad's _make _you stay here with me by redecorating the chalet or something."

Despite her growing tiredness, Quinn chuckled.

"Sometimes I forget how devious you can be Princess…but thanks, for letting me do this in my own time I mean."

She felt Rachel shrug behind her.

"It was hard…very hard because as you just stated, I can be rather determined. But I'll always wait for you Quinn, even if you are sometimes too stubborn for your own good."

Smiling fondly, it was the hockey player's turn to shrug as she felt her eyes begin to droop close. Surrounded by the warm, gentle embrace and love of her skating partner, the blonde _finally _started to drift into much needed sleep. Rachel continued to rub soothing circles gently over the hockey player's abdomen long after Quinn finally surrendered to her exhaustion. Rachel was just relieved Quinn had finally seen sense and accepted the support she had been offered, however, what she had told the hockey player was true, she would have waited for her for as long as it took (with perhaps the odd nudge in the right direction). Smiling sleepily, she made a snap decision and reaching out, shut the alarm off…_one _late morning wouldn't kill them after all!

The late morning turned into an early afternoon as without the bad dreams that caused her disturbed sleep, Quinn slept in until just after twelve. Rachel woke at her usual time but after putting a quick call through to Will to let him know that they wouldn't be practicing, she spent the day within reaching distance of the exhausted hockey player. Ever so often, the blonde would frown in her sleep and jerk around restlessly as though evading someone or something, whenever that started, Rachel would abandon whatever it was she was doing and crawl back in beside Quinn, pulling her close and murmuring soothingly. The restless moment would eventually pass and when the diva was sure that the last of the stress lines had disappeared from the hockey player's forehead, she would slip away again so as not to disturb her. It was the tempting aroma of Rachel's coffee that finally pulled Quinn from her deep sleep and sniffing appreciatively, she yawned widely and sat up in the bed. Blinking for a moment to adjust her eyes, she glanced to the radio alarm on the nightstand and then did an almost comical double take as she snatched it up. Eyes wide, she looked over to where the brunette was smiling at her fondly, trying not to splutter, she gesticulated with the clock as she spoke, voice still thick with sleep.

"It's almost half past twelve, why the hell didn't you wake me Princess, Will must be pitching a fit!"

Before she could do more than put the clock down and swirl round to leap out of bed, Rachel was at her side with her hands out calmingly.

"Whoa, calm down Gretzky…I already spoke to Will and he said that being as it was so close to Christmas, there was no harm in winding down. The next competition isn't until February and we already have ideas for our next big piece so…enjoy the lie in, you kinda needed it anyway."

Raising an eyebrow, Quinn managed one of her lopsided grins as she ran both hands through her sleep-tousled hair.

"I see, is that your way of saying I need to invest in some Oil of Olay?"

Placing a hand on her chest, Rachel fluttered her eyelids innocently.

"As if I would suggest such a thing! I mean…wrinkles can actually be attractive on some people, especially those with somewhat craggy features anyway."

The hockey player's jaw dropped in shock at the sheer insolence of the comment, craggy indeed! Narrowing her hazel eyes playfully, Quinn swiftly caught the diva round the middle and pulled her onto the bed. Ignoring the indignant screech that almost pierced her eardrums, she grinned wickedly and proceeded to tickle an apology out of the squirming brunette. Despite her intention to maintain her resolve in the face of such obvious underhanded methods, Rachel nevertheless found herself begging for mercy from the persistent digits of her skating partner.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Honestly you don't have a craggy face Quinn!"

Smirking, the hockey player retracted her hands from the diva's ticklish spots and let them rest on either side of her head instead. It was at that point that both women realised the position they were in, Rachel was lying on the bed panting for breath after their impromptu wrestle/tickle fight while Quinn was on her hands and knees above her, hair hanging loose and framing her face in the early afternoon sun, equally as breathless. Her breath caught in her throat however when the small smooth hand of the diva reached up and rested gently against her flushed cheek. Swallowing hard and aware her heart was beating faster for a different reason than exertion this time, Rachel spoke in a voice barely above a whisper.

"You're beautiful Quinn, so beautiful."

Those few simple words spoken in such an earnest tone struck the blonde right in the heart and she stopped breathing for a moment. The way Rachel said it, the absolute belief in her own words almost gave Quinn hope that they were true, leaning into the hand cupping her face, the hockey player closed her eyes.

"You…make me _feel _beautiful Rae."

Letting her other hand rise to gently hold Quinn's face between them, Rachel urged the hockey player down until she was lying fully on top of her, at that point she arched upwards to close the remaining few millimetres of distance between them and pressed a soft, loving kiss to Quinn's trembling lips. At the simple touch, the blonde felt something within herself change, she had been the aggressor all her life, in everything from sports to sex but not anymore…things had changed now. The old Quinn would already have her hands under the brunette's sweater and inside her jeans; the old Quinn would have taken charge with one goal in one mind. Now though, now she was actually _feeling _something, god was she ever feeling something! The kisses were gentle, the caresses more tentative than exploratory and yet every single nerve ending felt on fire, it literally felt as though Rachel was burning her up from the inside, scorching away all the emotional scar tissue that had been blocking her from feeling human.

Each kiss was new and, special…physical intimacy no longer felt like a tool or a weapon to be used to keep others at a distance. Instead it was the epitome of affection, care and although it terrified her, love. All thoughts of past conquests long since singed away by the intensity of the brunette powerhouse she held in her arms, Quinn decided to learn how to kiss properly. Moving so one elbow supported her more firmly, she turned slightly within the diva's embrace and lay a tentative hand on one denim clad hip, allowing her thumb to lightly brush the sliver of bare skin visible between the waistband of the jeans and hem of the cashmere sweater. This kiss was even better than their first real kiss together, Quinn thought fleetingly that it was because she had at last faced the demon from her past, and although it was Santana and not Rachel she had spoken to, she felt just that bit cleaner. Feeling the brunette move closer to her, the hockey player was shocked to find herself biting back a groan as one small hand slid under her T-shirt to rest lightly on the small of her back, fingers kneading gently.

Breathing raggedly, Quinn withdrew slightly from the kiss in order to take the diva's lower lip gently between her own and massage it gently before moving to the upper one. After lavishing equal amounts of attention, she felt brave enough to part her own lips slightly, only the tip of her tongue slipped deftly out to brush against Rachel's, but that was more than enough. Unsure if the light-headedness was from the intensity of the kiss or lack of oxygen, the blonde pulled back and swallowed audibly. She felt Rachel's kiss swollen lips press against each of her eyelids lightly before retreating, opening her eyes she had to swallow again at the depth of emotion on display in the deep brown eyes in front of her. At the sound of the swallow, Rachel's brow creased slightly in concern and she tilted her head in that familiar kitten-like way of hers before biting her lower lip nervously.

"I…sorry was that too much, it just felt right?"

Smiling with a mix of adoration and reassurance, Quinn craned her neck forwards briefly to press a gentle kiss to the very tip of the brunette's nose.

"It was more than right Princess, I'm just still getting used to…well to feeling as good as I do when you're with me I suppose."

Smiling shyly, Rachel tightened her hold on the hockey player and relaxed into the covers again before murmuring.

"Well the more we practice the better you will get, though I have to say that when it comes to kissing, you don't _need _any practice, I mean…wow!"

Chuckling in embarrassed delight, Quinn reached up to scratch her nose and then with a one-shouldered shrug admitted…

"I have only ever kissed you like that, you know…like it mattered, everything is different with you Rae. It's like I'm starting over again, but in a good way…um, does that make sense or should I shut up?"

Flushing a bright red, she ducked her head into Rachel's shoulder with a mortified grunt, the diva for her part simply chuckled slightly and played idly with the hair at the nape of the blonde's neck.

"It makes perfect sense…and I keep telling you it's okay to be vulnerable sometimes Quinn. You don't always have to be the hero you know, sometimes it's fine to let someone else be there for you…and I want to be there for you more than anything."

Turning her head so one hazel eye could look into Rachel's two loving ones, Quinn found herself confessing something without conscious thought. The surprising thing about that however, was not that she was doing it (because she was becoming used to the fact that with Rachel she did a lot of things she wouldn't normally do!) but that the voice in the back of her mind that usually ran around panicking was instead nodding in approval.

"I…only sleep when you're with me Princess, if you aren't there then the dreams, the nightmares get the best of me. No matter how hard I try, I can't keep them down but with you…with you they seem to subside, I feel safe."

Swallowing hard to disguise the emotion she was feeling over the blonde's confession, Rachel cleared her throat and spoke quietly but firmly.

"Then it's simple, you stay in the house with me from now on. I'm not saying you have to stay in the same room but you should be here with me, so I can help when it get's too much…I mean, if you want to that is!"

The last eight words were added hurriedly as it occurred to her that she was issuing an order as opposed to the invitation it was meant to be. Quinn however just laughed and raised an amused eyebrow.

"Oh I should huh?"

Hiding her face in her hands, Rachel groaned in mortification, her voice coming out muffled as she kept her face hidden.

"Ugh! You know I meant that as a suggestion? I mean…if it helps then it would be a good idea right?"

Unable to tease the tiny skater anymore, Quinn pulled her back into a loose embrace and pressed a soft kiss to the creased forehead.

"I know what you meant…and I think _maybe_…it's a good idea, even though it does almost feel like I'm imposing, I mean what about your fathers because I know they are away a lot but it's still their house and…"

She was abruptly cut off when Rachel kissed her, the diva pulled back with a smirk and Quinn raised a questioning eyebrow and, with a little giggle that the hockey player couldn't help but find cute, the brunette explained.

"Sorry but you were gearing up for a bit of a long winded panicky ramble there and there's really no need. My dad's already asked me why I didn't invite you to stay in the house, they're more than happy to have you here, apparently I'm calmer and quieter when I'm around you!"

That caused Quinn to dissolve into hysterics again; even Rachel's pronounced pout and lying down foot stomp (which up until that moment Quinn hadn't known was possible) couldn't get her to stop. Eventually, she had to stop laughing to be able to breathe and wiping the tears of amusement out of her eyes, managed a reply.

"I'm sorry…but I could just picture the fondly exasperated expressions on their faces as they said that! However…if the invitation is still valid, I would be honoured to join you in the main house, either in a guest bedroom or right here, it's up to you."

Trying to contain her outright glee at the usually stubborn hockey player's agreement, Rachel shrugged a shoulder casually.

"Well I suppose you could yes, although there will be rules."

Lacing her hands behind her head, Quinn smirked and watched as Rachel rolled onto her stomach so she could lay her head on the hockey player's stomach, fingers laced together underneath her chin.

"I see, and what exactly are these rules?"

Pursing her lips thoughtfully for a long moment, Rachel eventually smiled and began speaking.

"Firstly and most importantly, no clothes left strewn around the place, there's a laundry hamper in the bathroom so there's really no need for it."

Quinn nodded agreeably and raised an eyebrow in a prompt for the diva to carry on.

"Secondly, no food in the bedroom and that includes peanut butter!"

Wincing slightly, the hockey player tried her best not to pout at that one.

"Aw come on! I mean that's like an essential part of my day, it's Fabray fuel! I cant function without peanut butter and I'm sure we can keep one little jar hidden somewhere for emergencies?"

Sighing, Rachel was on the verge of reiterating her very firm negative when she caught sight of the very bad (yet oddly cute) impression of Puss in Boots that Quinn was attempting, wide eyes and everything. Narrowing her own eyes, the brunette growled slightly before acquiescing.

"Fine, one _very _small jar of peanut butter, _not _to be consumed in bed I might add!"

Grinning at her small victory, the hockey player raised a hand for a celebratory fist pump before resuming her relaxed posture. For the next ten minutes or so while Rachel pulled out a pair of Quinn's sweats that she had loaned the diva before, they started hashing out the rules of co-habitation. Despite the bantering, they were both more than happy with the arrangement and an hour later both skaters were showered (separately!), dressed and heading down to the dining room. Leroy and Hiram looked up with fond smiles as they walked in, gesturing with one hand to the overloaded table Leroy spoke.

"And you finally made it downstairs, thank god you girls are taking it slowly or poor old Hiram's head might have exploded thinking about what the two of you were _doing _up there for so long!"

Quinn smirked as she watched the smaller man roll his eyes indulgently at his husband's antics, Rachel however propped her hands on her hips and let out an outraged huff.

"Daddy! There is no need for that sort of talk, especially around food I might add! If Quinn is to be living here with us then you have to start behaving yourself."

Leroy's mouth fell open in honest shock and it was Hiram that had to hide his amusement this time, choosing to disappear behind the pages of the Wall Street Journal. The hockey player just took her seat at the table and began to pile her plate with food. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Rachel sit next to her primly and Leroy shake his head as though trying to clear it before smiling over at Quinn.

"I for one am glad you agreed to move into the main house, maybe you can get Rachel to relax a bit more, speaking of which, are we having a guest room made ready or will you two be sharing?"

He waggled his eyebrows suggestively and Rachel opened her mouth to let loose another tirade about how inappropriate she felt he was being, Quinn jumped in however and laying one calming hand on the brunette's, spoke swiftly.

"I think we will be sharing…I sleep better when she's around but it is just sleeping. I wasn't joking before when I said I agreed with Rachel's ideals. We wont sleep together until she is ready, it's just…I kinda don't want to be apart from her anymore than I have to be."

She trailed off, cheeks turning a bright pink as she reached the end of her sentence. Hiram looked out from behind his paper again with a soft smile.

"We don't doubt your motives at all Quinn, we trust you and we know the two of you will do what is right for you. Welcome home kiddo."

Those three words almost left Quinn speechless but Rachel's hand, which still lay under hers, turned and lacing her fingers through the calloused ones of the hockey player's, she gave a gentle squeeze. Blinking away unexpected tears, Quinn mustered a crooked grin and nodded her thanks;, Hiram smiled and went back to his paper while the two girls ate a belated brunch, Leroy pouted the whole time at being treated unfairly and the hockey player found it hard to keep a straight face at the reminder of just where Rachel had picked up her more diva- like tendencies. Over the next few days, both Berry men and Quinn (directed of course by Rachel) set about moving the blonde's stuff into the house. Surprisingly, Rachel and Quinn had no trouble at all falling into a routine together, as December slowly crawled towards it's festive conclusion however, the blonde grew restless. She loved Christmas at home with her family but the thought of being separated from Rachel for that long was daunting, as it turned out though, she needn't have concerned herself.

On the 20th , Hiram and Leroy made it back home and although they only celebrated Christmas in a very small way, Rachel was overjoyed to see they had made it back in time. Their announcement however was even more welcome and Quinn actually blinked in shock and had to ask them to repeat themselves.

"Wait, hold up there…uh Mr B, did you just say we were _all _going to my mom's' place for Christmas?"

Hiram grinned and nodded eagerly while Leroy clapped his hands together and repeated himself.

"Yeah, Lily rang and said that she knew I missed a traditional Christmas and as she couldn't make it here because of the wheelchair access, we were all invited there instead! So…you guys need to sort yourselves out, I mean we said we would be there for the twenty third so any last minute shopping that needs to be done you need to get shifting on."

Quinn's jaw was still partway open and smiling slightly Rachel (who had also been aware of the plans) reached over and gently shut it for her. Starting slightly, the hockey player looked down at the diva and couldn't help the grin she felt growing, as one they turned and started bolting towards the stairs to pack. The two Berry men shook their heads fondly and Hiram dashed off a text to Lily saying that all four of them would indeed be there on the 23rd. After that time flew by, there were three days of frenzied packing, covert gift buying and journey planning, they agreed to take two cars in case either couple needed or wanted to go somewhere independently of the other. Rachel gave in to Quinn's bad Puss in Boots impression yet again and said they could take the Humvee. Soon enough they were on their way to the organised chaos that was Quinn's home, as usual the house was a hive of activity when they pulled up. Hiram and Leroy were already there and sitting down in the family room with Sophia and Lily gossiping away happily, Santana was waving a spoon and yelling in Spanish as she chased Dave out of the kitchen. His face lit up however as he spotted Rachel in the doorway and Quinn loaded down with bags (having yet again refused help from an exasperated Rachel).

"Hey, if it isn't my little Rae of sunshine!"

Whooping happily, he swept the giggling diva into one of his bear hugs and ran her into the family room where he deposited a dizzy but happy brunette on the free sofa. Before she could say how pleased she was to see him as well he took off again, they all heard the half laugh half yelp as bags were dropped and Quinn swept into a similar embrace. Sure enough, mere seconds later the flustered blonde was dumped on the sofa next to Rachel, Dave grinning at them both.

"You guys relax, I'll take the bags in for you…Santana was making some refreshments earlier, before she turned into the GRINCH AGAIN!"

He yelled the last two words over his shoulder and towards the kitchen then cupped a hand around his ear. Right on cue, they heard the door being wrenched open and another deluge of cursing in Spanish, Sophia shook her head affectionately as she swiped at Dave's ear.

"I wish you wouldn't wind your sister up, you know how irritable she gets around Christmas!"

Dave rolled his eyes and Quinn snorted, saying what both she and her brother were thinking.

"It doesn't take Christmas to get her irate mom, she gets irate when she wakes up in the morning."

Nodding agreeably, Dave stood and made his way back to the hallway to carry the bags to Quinn's room.

"OR breathing, that irritates her!"

Quinn smirked at that and threw her brother a grin; he winked before returning to the task at hand. The hockey player wasn't quite as agile as her brother when it came to ducking however and so Sophia's light cuff caught her on the back of the head.

"Geez mom…I'm in the door for like five seconds and already I'm in trouble?"

Two sets of parental eyebrows raised (four if you counted the Berry men) and with a hugely aggrieved sigh, Quinn sank back into the sofa.

"No body appreciates the humour of a true master, gotta tell you mom's, I'm not feeling the love!"

Lily just laughed and shook her head but Rachel took pity on her girlfriend and leaning over, kissed her cheek.

"I still love you, does that count?"

Quinn's pout turned into a genuine soft smile and tilting her head to brush a light Eskimo kiss over her partner's nose, she murmured.

"It definitely counts, more than it does from this rabble and that's for sure."

Her mom's' outraged squawks fell on deaf ears as at that particular moment in time, Rachel and Quinn only had eyes and ears for each other…right up until a soggy dish towel smacked the hockey player in the face. Neither skater had to look up to locate the culprit, especially as an extremely amused and familiar voice drawled from the doorway.

"You've been in the door _five _minutes and already it's difficult to walk through the thigh high treacle that's coming from you two!"

Pulling the dirty towel from her face, Quinn nevertheless grinned and levered herself upright again to pull the surprised Latina into a rough embrace.

"Stow it Lopez, I bet my last dollar that you and Brittany are just the same! And if you like I can always revert to my previous behaviour? Get drunk, start a fight and piss in the eggnog?"

Rachel's eyes widened at that, Santana however looked thoughtful for all of three seconds before shaking her head with a heavy sigh and effortlessly snagging the blonde in a headlock, she ruffled her hair.

"On second thoughts, maybe cute and lovey dovey Q bear isn't so bad."

Growling at the slip of the childhood nick name, Quinn narrowed hazel eyes and was gearing up to give her a sister an earful when she caught sight of the mess the Latina had made of her hair.

"Tana! Look what you did to my hair…that's gonna take ages to sort out now!"

Rolling her eyes, Santana let her loose and pushed her back towards Rachel, the brunette diva reached up and with a slight eye roll, pulled the hockey player down and onto the sofa next to her. With several very precise motions she restyled the blonde locks effortlessly, Quinn grinned happily and snuggled closer as Dave made his way in and joined them. Santana smiled inwardly at how relaxed and happy her sister looked sat next to the little diva, their hands were intertwined, fingers laced together and everything about them just seemed so…right. She mentally slapped herself for getting too sappy and cleared her throat.

"Right well if your little fashion emergency has been averted Q, I figured I'd let you know dinner will be ready in half an hour. Oh and just to clarify if I catch anyone, and that includes _you _Dave and Quinn, attempting to scoop the frosting off the cake then I will end up cooking you!"

She fixed very pointed glares at her siblings who both blinked innocently, then breaking off her glare, she flashed a bright grin at Rachel and her dad's and with one last departing warning look to her siblings, went back into the kitchen. Quinn turned to Dave who was smirking and raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

"You messed with the cake again? Why would you _do _that she almost drowned you in the fishpond last time!"

His grin just grew and he folded his arms as he settled back into the sofa shaking his head with mock sorrow.

"Don't tell me you've forgotten our little Christmas tradition already Q ball?"

Hazel eyes widened in recognition and Quinn's grin grew to match her brother's, opposite her both Sofia and Lily groaned in stereo. Rachel raised an inquisitive eyebrow and sighing, Lily explained.

"It's a sibling thing…every year Santana goes overboard and tries to outdo herself when it comes to the Christmas cake. And I don't just mean the cake itself, I mean the decoration, she turns it into an art form, anyway the first Christmas Quinn was with us, she and Dave made the mistake of sneaking into the kitchen one night and scooping some of the frosting off. Santana flipped and things got messy…_literally _as in we ended up cleaning cake out of the light fittings if I recall correctly?"

She glanced to Sofia for confirmation and the tall blonde nodded solemnly as she remembered the chunks of chocolate and marshmallow stuck to the ceiling. Memory confirmed, Lily frowned for a moment as she tried to remember where she had gotten to in her tale, with a slight start she nodded and carried on.

"Anyway, ever since then, _these _two big idiots have made it a Christmas competition to see who can successfully put their initials into the frosting on the cake…it's progressed each year and one year I swear Santana will actually snap. I'm telling you two now if you can't play nicely this year, _especially _with guests in the house, then you'll end up eating Christmas dinner in the tree house!"

Dave looked at Quinn and after a long moment they turned to their mom's, smiling sweetly, the hockey player cleared her throat and spoke in her most innocent voice.

"I promise we won't push her _that _far."

Lily sighed and threw her hands up in frustration as she surrendered, Sofia shot a half amused and half exasperated look at the two. Luckily she knew as much as Santana yelled and cursed about it, she considered it just as much of a competition when it came to preventing them. Rachel shook her head but smiled nonetheless, she had no siblings of her own but if she had, she would have wanted ones like Santana and Dave. For all the infighting and teasing they had each others' back's, even if some of them (namely Santana and Quinn) insisted on acting like they didn't care. She wasn't aware that she had been lost in her thoughts until she felt Quinn's finger poke her stomach lightly, blinking she focused on the slightly concerned hazel ones and smiled softly.

"I'm fine, just thinking to myself how great you guys are together…well, when Santana isn't making homicidal threats that is."

The hockey player grinned widely.

"Ha! San _always _makes homicidal threats and you wouldn't find it so great if you had to live with it, trust me. But…I confess it's nice to be back here, I guess they aren't so bad really."

Dave raised an eyebrow at that and Quinn just smirked…right up until Dave spoke again.

"You really ought to be nicer to me little sis, after all I still have plenty of information and embarrassing secrets to pass on about you."

The blonde's eyes narrowed.

"You're bluffing…"

Dave only smiled serenely in reply and Rachel was amused when she heard the incredibly audible swallow of her suddenly nervous girlfriend. She knew she shouldn't but she really couldn't help herself as she turned to the tall boy curiously.

"So…these potentially embarrassing stories, are they more or less humiliating than the botched breakfast attempt?"

Ignoring his sister's very pointed head shaking and throat slashing gesticulations, he smiled at the brunette, scrunching his face up in an exaggerated show of remembrance. Across the room, both Hiram and Leroy leant forward slightly as well, eager to hear more about the enigmatic woman their daughter had fallen in love with.

"Hmm, well some aren't so bad like the time the elastic snapped on her softball pants and she ended up sliding into home base in her Simpson's shorts."

Groaning, the hockey player hid her face in the cushions while Rachel and her fathers chuckled.

"Oh Gretzky…please tell me they were at least ones that weren't ripped?"

The others in the room, being unaware of the long running joke in regards to the state of Quinn's underwear, just looked puzzled. There was a muffled sigh from the cushion before one hazel eye peeked out from around the corner of it and looked awkward.

"In my defence…it was only a small rip until I slid into home base."

Dave snorted in amusement and reached out to try and ruffle the blonde's hair as he spoke.

"Yeah, and after they were hardly covering anything, not the best way for mom and ma to find out you had that tattoo on your butt."

There was an outraged squawk and the cushion flew from Quinn's hands to hit Dave in the face;, that coupled with the shaking from laughing so much sent him tumbling from the sofa. Rachel chewed on her lower lip for a moment and then raised an eyebrow as her eyes strayed to that part of the hockey player's anatomy with interest.

"You never said you had a tattoo, let alone on your butt…what's it of?"

Reaching up, Quinn scratched her nose and flushing bright red mumbled something that no one in the room could actually hear. Dave was still giggling happily as he lay sprawled on the floor, a glance to her mom's revealed that she would be receiving no help from there either. Rachel cleared her throat and snagging one of the hockey player's hand's in both of hers, she caught the hazel eyes and spoke quietly.

"Gonna have to speak up there Gretzky, couldn't quite hear you…come on it can't be that bad can it?"

Sighing, Quinn rolled her eyes and grudgingly admitted.

"I…it's the Starfleet emblem, from um Star Trek."

Rachel's eyes widened and Dave guffawed and tried to avoid the flurry of cushions that Quinn rained down on him from her position on the sofa. Hiram snorted a laugh and blurted out what he knew his husband and daughter would also be thinking.

"Oh my god, you're a _Trekkie_!"

Lily and Sofia smirked, they of course already knew this, unlike most teenagers Quinn was quite open and honest about her pornography collection but when it came to her Star Trek collection she was secretive. It was the DVD box set's, model kits and autographs that she hid away in a cupboard, _not _the Playboy's. Rachel sucked on the inside of her cheek so as not to laugh outright, not so much because her girlfriend was a hidden geek as the thick tomes on wormhole physic's, astrological phenomena and geology were a bit of a giveaway on that front. But the fact she had chosen to get the tattoo on her butt of all places!

"Um, why would you get it on your butt…I mean isn't it more of an arm tattoo, possibly a shoulder one?"

Relieved that Rachel was more concerned about the placement of the tattoo than the actual subject, Quinn gave a half smile and rubbed the back of her neck.

"I couldn't get it where anyone would see it because my mom's' would have freaked, and also I was kinda drunk at the time which might have influenced the area I chose."

Rolling her eyes fondly, Rachel pulled the hockey player into a hug and kissed her temple before finally giving into her giggles.

"So…you have a thing for pointy ears and forehead ridges huh?"

Pouting slightly, the blonde slumped back into her seat surrounded by giggling, on the plus side it was nice to be the centre of attention for a good reason as opposed to being brought home for being drunk and disorderly…and anything that made Rachel laugh was a good thing. Smiling despite her determination to sulk, Quinn shook her head and glanced between her partner and the Berry men.

"This is _so _going to become a thing now isn't it?"

Three voices answered emphatically.

"YES!"

It struck Lily and Sofia yet again how much being around Rachel had changed Quinn, six months ago if anyone had tried to tease the hot- tempered hockey player about her hidden levels of geek, she would have thumped them. Now however she was smiling indulgently along with the people gently teasing her, it was amazing really and both women knew they would do whatever they could to make sure both Quinn and Rachel received all the support they needed. Before Dave could reveal any more secret's from the blonde's past, Santana emerged from the kitchen, accompanied by the usual array of mouth- watering aroma's that she seemed to carry with her.

"Right you lot the food's done so come help yourselves, I laid it out buffet style because the table is still drying from its eighty fifth coat of varnish!"

She looked pointedly at Dave who rolled his eyes and pulled himself to his feet.

"It's only on it's third coat which is the final one and I told you that it was happening Tana, I even offered to bring in the old garden bench and you started complaining about…"

Quinn smirked and joined in with the last of Dave's sentence, knowing full well exactly what her sister was going to say as both her and Dave had heard it so many times.

"How it would ruin the overall ambience of the dining space!"

Rachel giggled at both Quinn and Dave's impassioned speech and Santana's eye roll.

"Yeah, yeah just shut up and eat already would you…we still have to decorate the tree you know!"

Leroy clapped his hands together delightedly at that and gave a little squeak of excitement, Hiram shook his head fondly and kissed his husband's cheek as they all grabbed plates and helped themselves to the delicious feast the Latina had prepared for them. The rest of the evening went by amazingly peacefully, Leroy was like a big kid when it came to decorating the tree and much to Lily and Sofia's delight so was Quinn. She joked around with Rachel's dad, fighting over where the tinsel and lights should be placed in relation to the baubles and angel's. The brunette sidled her way over to where Santana was occasionally snapping the odd picture, preferring to catch candid moments as opposed to posed pictures. She got a glimpse of one the Latina had just taken of Quinn and Leroy wrapping Hiram and Sofia in tinsel, all four of them giggling happily, overcome with Christmas spirit.

"Nice shot…I may have to get a copy of that one if it's possible?"

Santana smiled slightly as she glanced across at the diminutive diva.

"I suppose I could consider your request munchkin."

Looking up briefly to make sure Quinn was still occupied with the decorating, Santana spoke quietly, eyes firmly on her camera as she flipped through some of her earlier images.

"So…how has she been, has she been sleeping any better?"

Rachel smiled inwardly, Santana might act the tough cookie but the barely veiled concern in her question was very telling.

"Not at first no, as you predicted she tried to keep herself to herself and started getting more and more exhausted as the nights went by. On the third night she finally came up to the house and I…well I told her she should stay."

Santana's head swung sideways to pin the diva with a surprised look, Rachel just chewed on her lower lip slowly and tucked a few loose strands of hair behind her ear.

"Are you shitting me Berry? I thought you guys were taking it slowly…living together is so _not _taking it slowly."

Rachel wrung her hands together nervously and letting out a breath, glanced across to where Quinn was debating with Hiram over who should sit on Leroy's shoulders to place the star on top of the tree. Maybe it seemed too soon for them to be living together to other people but to her it seemed natural, like they were always meant to be together but had just forgotten for a while. But Quinn was sleeping, she was actually getting the rest she needed and Rachel could never regret that, she had, had concerns about how the hockey player would cope with the physical closeness and the reality of Rachel's vow to wait until she was married, yet again however she had been surprised. If anything she had found that Quinn was the more cautious of the two of them when it came to intimacy, she would often wait for Rachel to initiate the hug they always inevitably fell into.

"That hasn't been an issue and she actually sleeps when I'm there next to her, she said so herself. As for the…for sex, it hasn't been what I'm sure you would expect it to be. Quinn has been nothing but a gentlewoman with me."

Santana blinked in mute shock, she had known Q had it bad for the dwarf but that was something she hadn't expected. The whole time she had known Quinn, she had been very physically demonstrative, although…as she had told Rachel there was never emotion involved before. Blowing out a breath she couldn't help but smile slightly before speaking.

"Well…I did say with you all bet's are off because she's an entirely different person but I guess I never expected that. I mean it's great she's all emotional and all that junk with you but it's hard for me to reconcile that version of Quinn with the one who got drunk and screwed a student teacher in a phone box in senior year."

Rachel winced at that and Santana grimaced slightly before clearing her throat.

"Forget I mentioned that okay? Not one of her proudest moments and I don't think she would thank me for telling you. And ah…well thanks I guess, for giving her some peace at night."

Not sure if it was against the Latina's code to acknowledge the thanks, Rachel decided to brave it. Taking a deep breath, she slung one arm round the broad shoulders and pulled Santana close for a hug and a kiss on the cheek before letting her go with a murmured.

"You're welcome."

Anything the brash Latina may have been about to say to negate the almost affectionate moment between the two of them was interrupted by Quinn dragging Leroy over towards Rachel. Both of them were grinning happily and wearing tinsel halo's, red and gold respectively and Rachel immediately found herself grinning as well just from the blonde's enthusiasm.

"Having fun there Gretzky?"

Tipping the diva a sly wink, Quinn bent at the waist in a bow and took one of Rachel's hands, gently lifting it to her mouth, she kissed the back of it.

"Yes Princess…and now your humble knight in um…white sneakers? Has a favour to ask of you!"

Glancing down at the worn sneakers (Adidas this time) Rachel smiled fondly, somehow if she ever saw Quinn in real shoes, she thought she would be disappointed. Looking up the brunette lifted her chin slightly and decided to play the role of princess to the hilt.

"I see and what is it you desire of me Quinn of Fabray?"

Grinning fondly at her skating partner's willingness to involve herself in the silliness, the hockey player gestured to Leroy who abruptly bowed, hamming it up for all he was worth.

"Well your majesty, we have a slight problem when it comes to placing the star on top of the tree and we were wondering if you would do us the honour?"

Pretending to think for all of three seconds, Rachel clapped her hands together excitedly and eagerly accepted the silver star that Leroy had clutched in one hand.

"Of course I will, anything for my loyal subjects…though how am I meant to reach the top exactly?"

Quinn abruptly dropped to one knee and patted her shoulder invitingly.

"Up you get Princess, I'm pretty sure that if I can carry you across the ice then I can lift you up to place a star."

Unable to argue with that logic, Rachel was glad she had chosen to wear jeans that day as she sat on Quinn's offered shoulder's. As predicted, their balance was flawless and Rachel easily placed the star…then readjusted it, and then readjusted it again. The sixth time she tilted it slightly to the left, the hockey player huffed.

"You know…it's no wonder you and Santana get on so well, you're as bad as her when it comes to perfectionism you know?"

Rachel was actually happy with the way the star was currently sitting but she was perhaps enjoying herself and her princess role a little too much. Heaving a sigh, she let her hands drop to Quinn's head and lightly scratched her scalp absent-mindedly, the hockey player sighed happily at the light massaging motion.

"I just want it to be perfect for you Q bear."

As the diva used the childhood nickname that Santana had let slip earlier, the Latina snorted in amusement and Quinn huffed,. choosing to ignore the fact that Dave and both set's of parents were alternating between giggles and coo's of adoration.

"Rach…come _on _you're totally trashing my reputation here!"

As Quinn let Rachel slide gently from her shoulders, she tucked her hands into her back pocket's pouting. Santana rolled her eyes and muttered something under her breath but before the hockey player could ask her what she had to say, Rachel stepped in and kissed her softly before smiling apologetically.

"I'm sorry, I still think you're a hard ass, does that help?"

Unable to quell the slight smile she could feel forcing the corners of her lips up, Quinn gave into it and nudging the diva's nose gently with her own, she murmured.

"Yeah that help's…but I reserve the right to challenge Santana to an arm wrestle later to help me feel better about myself, and you aren't allowed to complain about it."

The brunette's mouth snapped closed as she had indeed been about to launch into a tirade about how arm wrestling was definitely not something one did when trying to engender a festive atmosphere. Instead she nodded resignedly but subtly shot the Latina a narrowed gaze of warning, Santana just grinned however.

"Well now that's sorted, what's next?"

Lily laughed and explained that they usually just watched Christmas movies and pigged out on the goodies that San had created. Brittany couldn't be there that day as her parents were in town to see her but she would be first thing Christmas morning to spend the day with Santana. It amused Quinn how the Latina was trying to be all tough about it but pouted when she thought no one was looking, she decided not to call her on it however when Rachel raised a disapproving eyebrow. All disapproval was forgotten however when Dave pulled out the box of Christmas movies and placed them on the coffee table.

"Okay, the Berry's are our guests' so they get to choose what we watch first, don't sulk if it isn't the Muppet's' Christmas Carol Quinn, you know we always end up watching them all at some point anyway."

Poking her tongue out at her grinning brother, the hockey player flushed red and murmured to Rachel that it wasn't really her favourite Christmas movie…and for the sake of Quinn's pride, Rachel pretended to believe her.

"So what are the options then Davey boy?"

Hiram leaned forward and perused the films with interest as Leroy rifled through them occasionally exclaiming happily over one.

"Well, we got Miracle on 34th Street, original and remake cos they're Mom's favourite, Nightmare Before Christmas and Scrooged which are Santana's, Ma's is It's A Wonderful Life and Santa Claus, the Dudley Moore version and not the Tim Allen one. And finally we have mine and Quinn's selection of Elf, Christmas Vacation, Muppets' Christmas Carol and Jingle All The Way!"

Leroy grinned happily and fanned himself with the case for Scrooged.

"Are there any you don't have?"

Sofia smiled and shrugged slightly.

"We're working on it…so guests' choice, which one do you want to watch first Leroy?"

He eagerly snapped up It's A Wonderful Life and skipped over to the entertainment centre; next to Rachel, Quinn groaned and stuffed a cookie in her mouth to mask the scowl. The diva turned and looked at her questioningly.

"Not one of your favourites then?"

Swallowing her mouthful first (mainly because her mom was glaring at her), the hockey player shrugged a shoulder.

"It's okay I guess but I mean…it's just so sappy, like that kind of stuff really happens, one person doesn't make that much of a difference you know…it's just silly."

If they had been on their own then Rachel would have pointed out that one person could indeed have that much of an impact on someone, just like Quinn had on her. Instead she just chuckled dryly and settling back into the cushions, pulled the hockey player into her arms where she could run her fingers through her hair soothingly. At several points through the film (which Rachel was actually enjoying), she would glance down and see Quinn masking a smile or subtly wiping a tear away and she smiled inwardly. Tomorrow was last minute Christmas shopping and gift wrapping, then the big day itself and although Rachel had never really celebrated the holiday before, if it caused that light to turn on in Quinn's eyes, then it was likely to become one of her favourites.

_Sorry, I know it's been ages and I suck plus I don't even have a really good excuse, or at least not one that sounds good. First it was Mass Effect 3 and it's like a law that I have to play it through to all endings (so NOT going there right now grrr) then Hunger Games came out in the cinema__'__s, then of course I had to re__-__read the books to work out what was missing. Plus work has been meeting after meeting and there's been some RL drama I wont bore you with but it spun me out for a bit. However I'm back now and this is the first of the three updates, next one being Going Loopy I think. I hope I'm not in too much trouble with you guys for the delay and that you still love me…well. like me…okay I'll settle for just still wanting to read the updates? Enjoy and see you soon in GLF! x_


	17. Chapter 17

Rachel wasn't sure at first just what it was that had woken her up, blinking in confusion, she turned over to locate and pull Quinn's strong arms back around her. _That _was when she realised she was in bed alone and that it was that fact which had caused her to awaken. It was slightly embarrassing to admit, but just as Quinn had confided that she slept better with the diva's presence, Rachel herself also had to admit that she slept more soundly when the hockey player's solid presence was wrapped around her. Yawning, she sat up and glanced to the window where the outline of pale blue around the blinds indicated that it was very, very early in the morning. Rubbing her eyes with the heel's of her hands, the brunette looked at the illuminated blue LED display of Quinn's alarm clock and did a double take. It was 3.55 in the morning and the hockey player was voluntarily awake? That in itself was a miracle, as without practice or the need to travel anywhere, Quinn was well known for being as difficult to rouse from sleep as a contented housecat in a sunbeam.

Worried in case the blonde had, had a nightmare and wandered off somewhere in distressed confusion, Rachel slipped from the bed and locating a pair of thick socks from the hockey player's chest of drawers, slipped them and the blonde's Batman robe on before opening the door quietly. It was then that she heard the low but definite giggling from the living room, recognising the tones as Quinn and Dave, the diva smiled slightly and started to pad quietly in that direction. Her eyes widened however when she also heard her father's voice, instinctively her feet picked up speed and she hurried into the spacious and warm living room where the fire, which had been left to burn itself out in the hearth, was in fact still flicking away merrily. She wasn't sure quite what she had expected to see but one thing she definitely had _not _expected to see was her daddy, Quinn and Dave all sat cross-legged on the floor emptying the contents of their stockings out and comparing them excitedly. Smiling with a mix of relief and pure joy at seeing three adults act like over sugared children, the brunette crossed her arms and leant on the doorframe. Looking up at the noise, Quinn smiled sheepishly and held out a hand for Rachel to come and join her, rolling her eyes in fond exasperation, the diva allowed herself to be pulled down and into a seated hug.

"What on _earth _are you all doing up at this hour?"

Placing a soft kiss on her girlfriend's cheek, the hockey player blushed faintly but shrugged a shoulder.

"It's Christmas morning…it's kind of a tradition that Dave and I get up early and open our stockings together. Your dad got up for a glass of water and ended up as eager as we were to find out what the big man left us."

Frowning in confusion, Rachel raised a puzzled eyebrow.

"The big man?"

Dave rolled his eyes and reaching out ruffled the diva's already sleep tousled hair, ignoring her warning look, he grinned.

"Father Christmas you doofus…_that _big guy!"

Of course none of them really believed…did they? But for some reason Lily and Sofia had still set out the requisite mince pie and glass of milk for the supposed gift giver and a carrot for Rudolph. Rachel shook her head slightly in disbelief then glanced at Quinn, the blonde was smiling happily and separating out the packages of NHL collector cards from the Baseball and NFL ones, the NBA ones were already in one pile, as yet unopened.

"You really like this holiday huh Gretzky?"

She murmured low enough so that she was only heard by the blonde, in any case Dave and her daddy were busily engaged in a game of Marvel Top Trumps. Looking up for a moment, the hockey player shyly scratched her nose and toyed with a pack of cards before leaning into Rachel's embrace and replying.

"I never used to, like I said with an absent mom and a disinterested dad it never really registered as being of any significance, ya know?"

Sensing there would be more to this conversation if she just let Quinn take her time, Rachel nodded in silent agreement and paused to kiss the blonde's temple softly. After a moment where she just revelled in the warmth and love of her Princess's arms, Quinn carried on.

"When I first came here I was this hardened pain in the ass cynical teenager, Santana and I argued and fought on a regular basis but I idolised Dave from the moment we met. He was just different to anyone else I had ever met, the only guy who wasn't into guns, sports or proving his masculinity. Anyway, the first Christmas I was here, I noticed that despite him being older than me Dave was getting all excited and insisting on doing the traditional stuff despite the fact we all knew it was fantasy. I got really angry for some reason and hit him."

Pausing to frown slightly, she glanced across to where Dave was pouting as Leroy gloatingly took his Spiderman card away from him in their latest round. Glancing across he caught Quinn's eyes and winked slightly with a grin before he went back to the game, half smiling she turned her gaze back towards the patiently waiting diva and carried on.

"He didn't hit back, didn't even look phased…in fact he hugged me, I was ranting and raging at him and the guy just hugged me. He said the best time to start believing in magic was when there was none in your life and that just because you couldn't prove something didn't mean it wasn't real."

She smiled fondly in remembrance of that conversation, and shaking her head slightly rolled her eyes as she remembered her obnoxious fifteen year old self.

"Of course I told him he was talking bull but I calmed down nonetheless and when I watched him putting the mince pie and stuff out that night, I took the piss out of him again, he just smiled and told me it couldn't hurt. For whatever reason I got it into my head that I was going to prove _I _was right and _he _was wrong, so I made a flask of coffee and set myself down in the living room on the sofa. Everyone else went to bed but I refused to move from my place and in the end my moms just left me to it, at some point I guess even my own stubborn streak had had enough of me because I fell asleep. I woke up around…well, around this time in fact and it was just like this, the stockings had all been filled and the mince pie was just crumbs, the milk drained."

Rachel could just picture a fifteen year old version of her Quinn, waking up pouting because she hadn't been able to catch anyone out in a lie. Smiling softly, she wrapped her arm around the hockey player's muscled shoulders and leant into her, before prompting her to finish the tale.

"So what happened when your attempt to bag the fake Santa failed?"

Laughing slightly, Quinn reached out and rubbed the back of her neck before glancing to Dave again briefly.

"Not what you would think actually, Dave came through all sleepy eyed with his pyjamas on and when he saw the crumbs and empty glass he just smiled at me kindly, took his and my stocking down then sat on the floor and started emptying his. He didn't gloat that I couldn't disprove it; he just sat there and eagerly went through the candy and silly stuff…so I sat next to him and did the same thing. After a while, we started comparing our little haul and laughing together, I eventually asked him if he really thought some fat guy had left all the gifts and eaten the pastry left out for him."

Rachel smiled at the pause in conversation and nuzzled sleepily into the hockey players neck before smothering a yawn and asking.

"So…what did he say?"

Chuckling softly, Quinn nuzzled back for a moment then replied, her voice tight with emotion.

"He said…that just because he couldn't _prove _it was Santa didn't mean it wasn't. It made a sort of sense to me, it gave me the chance to believe in something I couldn't see or prove for the first time ever, it's the best gift I think I have ever been given and I'll never be able to thank him enough for it…since then this has always been a thing between the two of us."

Rachel had always liked Dave but with the quiet and tender recollection of why Christmas meant something to Quinn now it cemented the boys place in her heart. Hugging the hockey player even tighter for a moment Rachel grinned then suddenly leapt to her feet and hurried to pick her own stocking up before sitting back down next to the hockey player cross-legged.

"Well, let's see what the big guy got me then huh?"

Grinning widely at the way Rachel not only embraced this seemingly silly tradition of her and Dave's but jumped in to share in it with both feet, Quinn snagged the diva by the edges of her night gown and pulled her into a brief but passionate kiss. Blinking dazed eyes, the little diva smiled in a stunned kind of way before shaking her head slightly and clearing her throat, she started pulling out her gifts with a deep red blush. Quinn chuckled and went back to sorting her sports cards although she had to remember to 'thank' her mom's for deciding to buy Rachel a toy princess crown. Three hours later, Santana emerged from her bedroom after a long and deliciously hot shower, thanking god and all her little minions that Dave had fitted each of their bedrooms with an en suite. Lord knows it was difficult enough getting a shower normally in a house of four adults, but with three extra guests and bathroom-hogger Fabray back, it became imperative that there were more bathrooms!

Smiling happily to herself when she remembered that Brittany would be there later that day, she felt the uncommon urge to skip to the kitchen where she was already formulating several new recipe ideas for breakfast dishes. Although she had god knows how many recipes emblazoned onto her brain, she never usually wrote any of them down and was always building on or changing them. She walked past the living room humming happily to herself and was almost to the kitchen at the end of the hall when she frowned. Quickly retracing her steps, she peered into the comfortable living room and had to fight to not laugh out loud as she fumbled her phone from her back pocket. She had known that Quinn and Dave had their little tradition and she had always left them to it, personally she loved the fact the two had their little bond, and it was after that first Christmas together that Quinn had toned down the attitude. However, whatever the two of them did together they always went back to their own rooms before everyone else woke up…until this morning that is.

Rachel had obviously been let in on the little tradition because the fire had been built up and was still burning away while the telly was playing the Muppet Christmas Carol to itself. It's two would-be viewers however had drifted off long since, the little brunette had Quinn's Christmas hat perched precariously on her head while she snored softly tucked into the hockey player's shoulder. Her feet were encased in the dinosaur bed socks Quinn pretended she didn't own and the batman robe, the blonde herself was snoring even louder, head back and mouth wide open on the back of the sofa. The Latina smirked at the old T shirt she was sleeping in which advised the contents should be kept out of direct sunlight, but at least the shorts weren't ripped for once, they were a lurid shade of red covered in mistletoe prints but at least they were intact. Snapping a picture happily, Santana smirked to herself knowing exactly what to do with it later!

The figure skaters slept on obliviously until a combination of the doorbell going and the delicious smells issuing forth from the kitchen woke them. Yawning, Quinn sat up as she watched a blur of colour she assumed was Santana rush towards the front door, after a moments confusion she grinned. _Ah yes of course! Brittany was due this morning._ Wincing, she rubbed the crick in the back of her neck and tried not to listen in as she heard the two lovers greeting each other enthusiastically at the door. However when she accidentally overheard a faint moan and the rustle of clothing, she blushed faintly and cleared her throat, hoping to subtly remind the Latina of the fact there was company in the house. Judging by the disappointed sigh she correctly guessed was Brittany's and the muffled curse she knew for a fact was Santana's, she had been successful. The couple paused in the doorway to the lounge as they passed and the blonde dancer waved cheerily to the drowsy Quinn, speaking softly so as not to wake the still slumbering brunette.

"Hey Q, glad to see you made it home…plus I can't wait to see your face when you open the present me and San got you."

Quinn's smile faltered slightly when she took in the far too earnest expression on her sister's face. Groaning internally at what the crafty Latina may have concocted, she nevertheless smiled back easily at the oblivious blonde.

"Whatever it is I'm sure it's great Brit, and it's wonderful to see you as well…plus it's reassuring to know that Santana hasn't scared you off yet."

Grinning as the Latina playfully scowled and flipped her the bird, Quinn chuckled and settled back down with Rachel as Brittany just rolled her eyes indulgently and pulled Santana towards the kitchen, there was a brief increase in the volume of the Latina's rap music as the kitchen door opened and closed to allow the couple inside. Rachel frowned in her sleep and shifted restlessly within the circle of Quinn's arms, leaning down the blonde muttered soothingly as she kissed the crown of the tousled head.

"Hey Princess, no need to get up just yet okay? Just S being her usual loud self as she let Brit in."

Stifling a yawn, Rachel turned until one sleepy brown eye was fixed on both of Quinn's amused hazel ones.

"What time is it anyway…and we should be in bed, even if you _are _very comfortable to lie on."

Chuckling the hockey player stretched underneath the brunette, sighing in satisfaction as her spine popped several times releasing the pressure from her awkward sleeping position.

"It's half seven or so, everyone else is still asleep, it's just you and me…and of course the kitchen dwellers but I'm not going in there anytime soon seeing as they practically started doing it in the hallway."

Quinn yelped slightly, more from shock than anything else when she felt Rachel's hand lightly slap at her exposed leg, pouting slightly the blonde batted her eyelashes.

"Hey I didn't swear, and strictly speaking I wasn't crude either…besides which it's Christmas, I should be immune."

Rolling deep brown eyes, Rachel linked her arms around Quinn's neck and gently urged her closer until she could kiss her softly. Acquiescing happily to the request, the hockey player relaxed and deepened the kiss slightly, not too much, just enough to try and express the emotion she was feeling to the little diva, heaven knows she wasn't good enough with words to express how Rachel made her feel. Eventually with one last peck to each of the hazel eyed woman's eyelids, the diva pulled back and smiling coyly murmured.

"Merry Christmas Gretzky."

Pretty sure her grin was about to split her face wide open, Quinn ducked her head back for a moment to lightly nip the very top of Rachel's ear before locking gazes with her again.

"Merry Christmas to you too Princess, but…_I _still bags the shower first!"

Giggling she made a break for the bathroom but yelped in amusement when she realised she wasn't quite fast enough. Rachel snagged the fleeing hockey player's ankle and pulling on it lightly hauled herself up whilst simultaneously managing to unsettle Quinn's balance. She held her hands up triumphantly in a simulation of the hockey player's own victory air punch as she ran into the bedroom triumphantly. All Quinn could do was laugh happily as she picked herself up to follow after her, she felt like the luckiest son of a bitch alive. An hour later they were all awake, showered, dressed and sat at the breakfast table which was spread with Santana's usual array of dishes. Brittany had been subjected to one of Dave's crushing bear hugs and even Quinn had embraced her briefly before they sat down, her mom's of course fussed over the blonde like she was already one of the family. Leroy and Hiram decided that as the tasters they had already had of the Latina's cooking were amazing, it was their duty to try a little of everything and Rachel and Quinn watched in open mouthed shock as they assembled two piled plates and a number of bowls in front of them. Santana raised an eyebrow and rubbed her jaw to try and hide the pleased little smile as she watched them.

"Ya know if I didn't know any better I would think I'm sitting some kind of test I never signed up for!"

Leroy winked while Hiram moaned and actually swayed slightly in his seat as he devoured a mouthful of the oatmeal that Rachel had spoken so fondly of. Rachel just groaned in mortification and tried to forget her worries by burying herself in pancakes and fruit, Quinn smiled in amusement and rubbed the brunette's back soothingly with her free hand as she shovelled bacon and eggs in with the other. A throat cleared itself pointedly and she glanced up at her mom who was frowning slightly.

"Quinn, no one is going to steal your breakfast, and it also won't make the _rest _of us eat any faster! You know the rules, no presents until everyone has finished eating and the dishes are done."

Pouting the blonde reluctantly slowed down and once again muttered faint curses about slow eaters, well, she did until she felt her ma's foot impact with her shin lightly, then she abruptly shut up…though the pout remained. Rachel couldn't help but be charmed by the hockey player's child-like eagerness and she braved the egg yolk that was still on the blonde's upper lip as she leaned across and kissed the lower one.

"Stop pouting and I'll help you with the dishes, what do you say Gretzky?"

Wiping her mouth with a napkin, Quinn smiled back happily.

"I'd say you were on Princess!"

Despite having to wait nearly an hour more to get to the presents, the blonde remained obscenely cheerful as she and Rachel eventually finished eating, cleared the table and retired to do the dishes. The brunette ignored the loud objections of Quinn's moms and eagerly picked up the dish mop, the two of them alternated between washing and drying as they giggled and flicked water at each other. When Santana came in to start the coffee and tea's, Quinn couldn't help herself, soaking her hands in the now lukewarm water, she scraped up some of the soggy food scraps from the bottom and sneaking up behind the distracted Latina, placed them on her neck and squished the food bits in. Squealing in shock and irritation, Santana whirled round and narrowed her gaze at the grinning and unrepentant blonde.

"Oh, you _SO _did not just do that you puck head!"

Despite the slight snarl to the words, there was also a glimmer of amusement in the dark brown eyes and Rachel relaxed, this was just Quinn and Santana being Quinn and Santana. The blonde shrugged and then flicked her fingers in the Latina's face again before taunting.

"What ya gonna do about it Lopez?"

Pausing to ask Rachel to watch the coffee machine, Santana rolled up her sleeves then lunged forward. Shrieking with laughter, Quinn leapt over the breakfast bar and took off out the back door pursued by an equally amused Santana. Rachel shook her head with a faint smile and nodded to Brittany as she joined her, despite their limited interactions, the taller blonde wrapped an arm round Rachel's shoulder to hug her and mused aloud.

"Why do I get the feeling that we are going to have to get used to these two acting like this?"

Laughing softly, Rachel accepted the hug from her new friend gratefully as she watched the last of the dishwater drain away.

"Because we will, this is just how they bond."

The two of them winced as they watched Santana trip Quinn sending her into a wall of snow that had been cleared from the pathway, the hockey player was still laughing however, though it changed into an amused yelp as her sister shoved some of the snow down the back of her jumper. As she attempted a getaway, Santana found her ankle snagged by one of the hockey player's own and went face first into the fresh powdery layer that had fallen overnight. Eventually the two wore themselves out and trudged back to the kitchen sniggering and pushing each other fondly, their better halves were waiting for them with towels, fresh clothes and mugs of warm drinks, coffee for the Latina and tea for Quinn.

"Sorry ladies, but you don't get in until you leave the wet out there, Rachy and I just cleaned the kitchen."

Two identical pouts met that declaration, however with a certain reluctance, the siblings stripped off their wet clothes and gratefully accepted the towels then clean sweats. Once inside and with their hands wrapped round their respective drinks, both girls started smirking again. Rachel rolled her eyes and linking her arms with Quinn's, led the way through to the rest of the waiting families, knowing Brittany would be doing the same with Santana behind her. Leroy almost cheered he was so relieved, it turns out that Christmas turned more than one person into a big kid and Hiram smiled indulgently as he kept an arm round Leroy's shoulder to prevent him from bouncing out of his seat. Once everyone was settled with Quinn and Rachel wrapped around each other on the floor by the tree, Lily nodded and with a squeal the hockey player started distributing them happily. Everyone had brought everyone else a gift; Santana for the first time ever had written down her recipes and created her own hard-back book of them which she had gifted to both Hiram and Leroy. They were delighted with it and lost track of time for a while as they read through it, Lily and Sofia had brought Santana a set of top of the line cooking knives which contained every conceivable implement the Latina might need. She grinned happily, half her mind already on tackling some interesting ideas she had, had for vegan sushi.

Quinn got her sister a very rare book that the Latina had been after for a while now, it was written by service cooks during the war and had been passed around, it contained recipes from all the far flung islands that had held allied posts as well as family recipes long since lost. Santana had heard about it from several chefs and those who had managed to get a hold of a copy had guarded it with their lives. She had never said why she really wanted a copy and Quinn hadn't asked, it wasn't how they worked after all. The hockey player handed it over with a nervous smile; frowning slightly and wondering if something was about to burst out and attack her Santana opened it carefully. Reaching in, she gently extracted the tissue paper wrapped book and shedding the filmy covering, her eyes widened dramatically as she took in the title. The blonde rubbed the back of her neck wondering if she'd gotten it right when she suddenly found herself knocked flat against the floor and crushed in a hug. Everyone else looked on stunned and wondered if they should be doing something, Quinn hesitantly returned the hug and didn't know what to say when Santana looked up with tear filled eyes and gently kissed her on the forehead, whispering too low for anyone else to hear the Latina murmured.

"Quinn…you are the most amazing sister a girl could have, thank you."

She gently disentangled herself from her sister and went back to Brittany's side hugging her tightly. Sitting up again, Quinn blinked in surprise at the sudden onset of emotion. But knowing that Santana wouldn't want her to make anything big out of it she just smiled to herself, enjoying the glow of acceptance she felt inside. Rachel had no idea about the book's importance, but she did know how much effort Quinn had put into finding it and it looked like it was more than worth it. She pulled the blonde close to her again and they decided to let Dave have his present from them next, he had just opened his one from his mom's, which was the key to a new truck. Having had no idea that the Nissan Frontier parked two doors down was actually for him he yelped with delight and actually stood up three times before deciding that he would take it for a spin after all the presents had been opened and sitting back down again. Quinn passed him a small package; something that she had contributed to the truck (as she had known and helped pick the right one) he opened it and grinned when he found the faceplate for a car based stereo system. Luckily for Quinn's ribs, his hug was a little less effusive than Santana's but he was just as pleased.

Holding up a finger, he disappeared for a moment then came back with a small box sticking out of his shirt pocket and a much larger one in his arms, large in that it looked like it could contain an old style computer. Smiling, he passed the small box to Rachel who opened it with a small smile before gasping, inside was a delicate gold necklace with what at first appeared to be a pair of skates but when she looked closer it was in fact one figure skate and one hockey skate. The diva grinned in delight and immediately turned to him to fasten it on for her. Quinn hadn't opened her own gift yet as she was enjoying how happy her brother's gift had made her girlfriend. He had been very unsure about it but Quinn had assured him that Rachel would love it, judging by the wide grin and sparkling eyes she had been right.

"Where on earth did you find this Dave, it's so unusual it can't have been easy?"

He shrugged and tucking his hands in his back pockets rocked back on his heels shyly for a moment before admitting.

"Well the chain came from the jewellery shop but I made the charms then had them plated…I'm glad you like it though my little Rae of sunshine?"

It was half statement and half question so to reassure him, Rachel hugged him as tightly as she could before reaching up on tiptoes to kiss his flushed cheek with a grin.

"I _love _it!"

Shaking her head slightly, Quinn smiled happily to herself and tore into her own gift with much less finesse. When she opened up the plain looking cardboard box, she let out a strangled squeak that made Rachel look over in shock. Her mom's were smiling gleefully as they knew exactly what Dave had given her and although it was highly geeky, it was something that the hockey player had craved for years. Santana was also smirking and Rachel watched in confusion as her girlfriend grinned widely and hauled out what looked like some bizarre golden spider duck. Setting it down with a reverence Rachel had not seen before, Quinn reached back in and extracted some…red and white robot type thing before setting it next to the spider pig and launching herself at her brother. He laughed as he accepted the limpet style hug, all of them oblivious to the Berry family's confusion as to the significance of the gift. Clearing her throat, Rachel ventured curiously.

"Robots?"

Quinn turned to her and looked caught between guilt at her inner geek peeking out or disbelief that Rachel didn't know who the robots in particular were. Aw hell…she was among friends and it wasn't like Rach didn't already know she was a geek anyway, smiling, she walked over to the robots and placed a hand on each.

"Not just _any _robots Princess, this is the wise cracking Crow T Robot and the sophisticated Tom Servo, they're like…cooler than R2-D2 and C3-P0 in the robot world!"

Wondering if she was going to be seen as seriously lacking for admitting she was none the wiser, Rachel just shrugged a shoulder and ventured.

"Um…that's…good?"

Grinning almost fiendishly, Quinn rubbed her hands together.

"When we get home Princess, we are definitely expanding your knowledge when it comes to all things Sci-Fi."

Rolling her eyes good- naturedly, the brunette nonetheless groaned as she helped Quinn place the robots that Dave had spent the better part of a year making, back into their box. Once that was done, Rachel pulled out the set of completely cruelty and animal free toiletries and cosmetics that they had gotten for Brittany. The tall blonde smiled happily and accepted her gift, Santana grinned at the chocolate body paint that had been slid into the gift and caught Quinn's grin with a wink of her own. The adults had been predictably boring in Quinn's opinion and brought each other gifts of wine tasting trips (from the Berry men to her moms) and a white water rafting experience (from Lily and Sofia to Hiram and Leroy) though both couples had seemed happy with the gifts. Santana passed a ribbon wrapped package to Rachel and gestured to Quinn as well.

"This is from myself and Brit to you two…I hope you like it, though it _almost _wasn't ready, you'll see why when you flip through it."

Frowning suspiciously at the matching smirks, Quinn watched as Rachel opened the present carefully but eagerly, inside was a velvet bound album in pale blue with their names on the front. Chewing her lip anxiously, the diva flipped open the cover and found herself half laughing and half gasping at the image of the two of them asleep on the minibus on the way back from their first competition. Eagerly the two flipped through the album, quickly guessing that both Will and the Berry men must have been consulted on this little project as there were photos of them practicing, of them competing, and in unguarded moments around both the Berry house and the grounds of Spencer mansion. There was one they both loved even though it only had their faces in partial silhouette, they were sat on the rock they liked to watch the sunrise from on their morning jogs. They were both in sweats and covered in a thin sheen of sweat with their hands linked together, smiling as they did indeed watch the sunrise. Neither knew how or when the image had been taken but they definitely agreed they loved it. They laughed in stereo when they flipped to the final image of them, which was obviously taken that morning. Closing the book, Rachel boldly reached out and pulling the Latina into an embrace, kissed her on the cheek.

"Thank you Santana it's amazing, a little stalkerish perhaps but…I really do love it."

Flushing slightly, the Latina shrugged a shoulder and mumbled out a 'you're welcome' while Brittany rolled her eyes at her girl's reluctance to hug back and just pulled them all into a four way embrace. After a suitable amount of time, the two sisters cleared their throats and punched each other's shoulders lightly before resuming their places. Rachel glanced meaningfully at Santana who in turn nudged Brittany, the tall blonde nodded and slipped from the room while Rachel turned to Quinn nervously.

"Gretzky, one of your presents was sort of awkward to get here and I had to ask for help from your sister and Brit so…well I hope you like it, oh and don't worry I already asked your mom's about it being here so it's okay."

The hockey player frowned in confusion and opened her mouth to ask what on earth Rachel was talking about when a high-pitched yip stopped her cold. Eyes widening, she turned towards the lounge door and watched as a short-haired Chihuahua pup came scrambling clumsily into the room and straight towards her. Hazel eyes filled with immediate adoration as the pup stumbled slightly to a stop in front of her and tilted it's head to one side. Instantly, Quinn Fabray lost all pretence of toughness or cynicism as she picked the pup up to blow a raspberry on it's belly, the little bundle of fur wagging it's tail happily. They rolled around on the floor together, Quinn giggling in delight as the tiny little dog ran up her back to lick her ears lightly. Santana was already snapping away happily with the ever present camera while the others tried not to coo too much at the cuteness of the scene. Eventually, Quinn remembered they had an audience and flushing a bright red she sat up, crossing her legs again as the pup settled happily in her lap. Rachel chuckled happily and leaning across tried to kiss a part of the blonde's face that hadn't been licked.

"I haven't named him, I thought I would let you do that, now…there's one present I got you that I sort of want to give you later if that's okay, when it's just us?"

Quinn smiled in relief and nodded her acceptance of that as she reached back for one of the ones she had gotten Rachel, handing it over she paused to kiss the tempting lips in front of her and murmured.

"Actually I'm relieved because I wanted to do the same, so yeah…it's more than okay Princess."

They smiled at each other and realising they were being watched the blonde quickly dispensed some more of the small gifts they had under the tree, it was the silly stuff now as opposed to the real gifts. She turned back to watch nervously as Rachel opened her first gift, the truth was she had no idea what to get the little diva when it came down to it, she was literally dating the girl who had everything! Instead she chose things that she had seen and that had made her think of the brunette, she just hoped they were okay. Opening the present, Rachel smiled softly at the book of selected poems by E.E. Cummings, she had never read the actual book but had caught several of them quoted in part here and there. She noticed there were a couple of bookmarks and grinned wider when she realised they were hockey cards, both of Gretzky. Opening one of them, she found one section had been marked in pencil and looked up, Quinn shrugged.

"It's…things I would find a way to say to you if I knew how, but for now he seems to say things in words that I feel, and I thought…I mean you don't have to keep it if you don't like it?"

Reaching out with a hand, Rachel lightly cupped the blonde's cheek with one hand and smiled softly, her words firm but loving.

"I love it, now hush and let me read this okay…I'm intrigued."

Happy that Rachel had liked the gift, Quinn went back to playing with the now sleepy puppy as she tried not to think how the diva would react to the first of the high lighted passages in the book. Rachel was chewing on her lower lip as she tried not to smile too widely, for someone who claimed an inability to properly use the English language, Quinn certainly seemed to know what she was looking for when she found it.

"_We do not believe in ourselves until someone reveals that deep inside us something is valuable, worth listening to, worthy of our trust, sacred to our touch. Once we believe in ourselves we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight or any experience that reveals the human spirit." _

Blinking away tears, she looked back up at the hockey player who smiled softly, speaking in a tone meant only for Rachel's ears.

"That's what you gave me back Princess, because _you _believed in me, I started to."

The rest of the room suddenly wished they were somewhere else as the moment seemed a very personal one, Rachel cleared her throat and decided to read the other highlighted parts later…in private! After that, the atmosphere got silly and relaxed again for a while as the rest of the gifts were handed out, Quinn's mom's and Rachel's dad's had clubbed together to get the two skaters a fortnight's cruise in the Arctic which they knew the two had been looking at wistfully every so often. The hockey player found herself with over twenty new pairs of boxer shorts as nearly everyone decided she needed new ones, including two Star Trek-themed ones from a grinning Leroy Berry! At one point Santana pointedly looked at Dave then Quinn and gestured for them to join her, Rachel knew what was coming and so she joined her fathers on the sofa while Brittany went to check on the progress of dinner on the Latina's behalf.

After a moment all three siblings walked back in and faced their mom's who looked curiously at them.

"Okay what have you three been up to this time?"

Lily drawled and Sofia smiled slightly, Quinn was chewing her thumbnail and Dave was rocking on his heels, which left it to Santana who cleared her throat before speaking.

"I know we got you the silly stuff from each of us like the bath stuff you both like, a weekend on a yacht and other stuff like that but…the truth is all three of us have been saving for quite a long time for something we know you both want but wouldn't dream of asking for."

Sofia's eyes widened and she started to tear up as she realised the one thing she wanted more than anything, her hand found and curled itself around her wife's as Dave took over from Santana.

"We never mentioned it because you would have put us first, you always have, both of you have given us everything and because of it we grew up halfway decent…even Quinn."

Rolling her eyes, the hockey player nonetheless grinned and nodded, she started slightly when she realised that the others wanted her to finish and clearing her throat awkwardly, she scratched her nose.

"Right um…so we clubbed together, saved up and the upshot is we managed to book and pay for your operation mom. The doc is expecting you guys and knows your progress as we forwarded your records…uh somehow, you probably don't wanna know how. We also booked a hotel next to the hospital for the duration of the time that will be needed for both the operation and the physiotherapy you'll need until you're okay to travel again."

Rachel had left halfway through the awkward speech, encouraging her fathers to join her in the kitchen with Brittany, this was definitely a family moment. Lily blinked away tears and glanced to her wife who was having no such luck suppressing her emotions. Her tears were flowing freely down her face as she lifted Lily's knuckles to her lips and kissed them gently.

"How did we get so lucky with these kids baby?"

The other woman just shook her head dumbly and was glad of Sofia's hold on her; it was the only thing convincing her she wasn't dreaming. These kids, kids that society had long ago given up on and cast to one side were about to offer her the chance to walk again. Something she had secretly long ago given up hope of, but now…it was in her grasp and she couldn't believe it. Opening her mouth to try and talk, she found all she could do was cry, so instead of fighting it she gave into the tears of joy and held her arms out inviting them all into the hug at once. This was a situation where gratitude surpassed language, nothing the two women could say would ever suitably verbalise what they wanted to, just as the three siblings would never be able to tell the women in words just what they had done for them by giving them a home and a second chance. Instead they just held each other tightly and whispered how much they loved each other until they grew light headed from the emotion.

The rest of the day went by in a haze of joy, Santana had cooked enough for the meal and then some, there was definitely no way that anyone would be going to bed hungry. After the lunch, which lasted well over two hours thanks to the Berry men needing to try everything again and Santana eager to experiment with new flavours now she had two willing guinea pigs on hand, they all retreated back to the lounge. Brittany and Santana were sprawled on the floor, heads pillowed on some of the cushions from the sofa's, Sofia was sitting comfortably in Lily's lap in the easy chair while the two kissed like teenagers. Quinn and Rachel were on one sofa while the Berry men were wrapped in each others arms on the other one sleeping in a food induced coma. Glancing outside at the night sky, Quinn smiled slightly and sitting up pressed a quick kiss to the sleepy diva's lips.

"I'll be back in a minute I need to go and get things ready for your other presents baby, find your warmest clothes and wrap up, okay?"

Smiling in enchanted wonder at the note of eagerness Quinn could hardly contain, Rachel nodded and after watching the hockey player lope off she made her way to the bedroom to layer up. Santana smirked as she watched them go and Brittany swatted at her stomach lazily.

"Shush, they're in love, it's cute and you know it."

Grumbling slightly about how Brittany was making her soft, the Latina nevertheless subsided and curled up against her girl's side. They had long ago given up hope of seeing Dave anytime soon, after lunch he had taken his new truck out and promised to text if he intended to stay out over night. Rachel was just fastening her down jacket up when Quinn came into the bedroom and pulled a gift bag from the wardrobe. She was smiling happily her cheeks still pink from the cold air outside, once she saw that Rachel was suitably wrapped up she offered her own gloved hand.

"Come on princess, everything should be nicely ready now."

Pausing only to pull her own gift for Quinn from her travel bag, the diva tucked it into her pocket and gladly took the outstretched hand on offer. She was simultaneously surprised and not so when Quinn led swiftly led the way to the tree house at the end of the lawn. Gesturing for the diva to go up first she followed soon after, once inside the brunette's eyes widened in wonder, scratching her nose nervously Quinn shrugged a shoulder.

"I now it's sort of high school ish but…bear with me?"

Rachel actually barely heard the muttered words of the hockey player as she took in the secret hideaway Quinn had created. There were Christmas lights strung through the branches of the tree and in the little house, underneath them the ground was covered in what was obviously a heated blanket. Judging from the neatly coiled line of cabling, it was all being powered from the garage mains, there was another blanket over the electric one giving the floor a cushioned feel, there was also a small heater in one corner of the tree house and a carefully set up telescope. Opposite from that was a small cool box full of (when Rachel inspected it) various goodies and also a flask of Rachel's favourite hot chocolate. Looking up with a smile, she caught Quinn's nervous hazel eyes and pinned them with her own.

"This is amazing, it's like our own secret hideaway!"

The hockey player grinned; pleased that Rachel saw it exactly how Quinn had intended her to. Nodding, she closed the door behind them and slipping her shoes off sighed happily as her socked feet sank into the warmth of the heated floor that she had created. Before Rachel could reach across to slip off her own boots, Quinn was there doing it for her, placing both sets by the door. Rachel smiled to herself and wondered if it was corny the way she loved seeing those boots next to each other, one battered pair of chucks and a pair of Italian leather winter boots. Shaking herself from her musings she caught Quinn also looking at the boots and raised an eyebrow.

"I was just thinking…I like the way they're so different, and yet look right together, is that like the _sappiest _thing you ever heard or what?"

She pulled a face at her own lameness only to be surprised by the very un-lame love she could see being directed at her from Rachel's brown eyes.

"Actually I was thinking exactly that myself Gretzky, now…get over here and cuddle me, I assume these extremely plump pillows and cushions are here for us to snuggle into together?"

Scratching her nose coyly, the hockey player shrugged one shoulder and settled into the blissfully comfortable haven she'd created earlier. Rachel pulled her close and sighed happily as they fit together like two pieces from different puzzles, it shouldn't work but it just did. Eventually she stretched with a yawn and motioned to the telescope with a half smile.

"I thought you only knew the positions of candy related constellations Miss Fabray?"

Chuckling softly, Quinn flexed her toes on the warm blankets under her feet and ducking her head shyly to hide her eyes from view mumbled.

"Yeah well…maybe I lied a little about that, the science geek in me doesn't come out to play very often but I needed it recently and…if anyone deserves to see the geek in me it's you, just don't laugh okay?"

Smiling at the innocent charm she was sure Quinn had no idea she projected, the little brunette used her nose to nudge the hockey player until she finally looked at her. At that point, Rachel ducked in quick to steal a kiss and then let her forehead rest on the blonde's.

"Hey, guess what? I don't care that you have a geeky side, in fact I love that you have it, I love it even more that you want to share it with me…so show me what you're bursting to okay?"

Emboldened by the love and adoration she could see in her partner's eyes, Quinn sat up and for a long moment toyed with the telescope, adjusting it in minute increments that Rachel would never be able to fathom until she nodded to herself, satisfied. Suddenly nervous again, Quinn pulled out an envelope from the bag and toyed with the edges of it as she spoke.

"Okay…here's the thing, buying you a gift is kind of hard because I mean you don't need much or seem to want much so I tried to think of something different but couldn't. In the end as clichéd as it was I went for something I thought of first but I…personalised it a bit more than most."

Rachel waited patiently while she watched Quinn scratch her nose and toy with the envelope some more. After a few nervous breaths, she spoke again hands nervously fiddling with the envelope to the point it almost bent.

"I…wanted to get you a star, I mean a real one not a metaphorical one, it's cheesy and done to death I know but the way I picked it was different. I took my date of birth and yours and running it through a programme on my laptop, I compared it to the exact astronomical position of stars that were available to name. I found the perfect one and then got into some bidding war with this guy…anyway I drove out to see him and we had a long talk and…well the outcome is he let me have it, so I ah…well, merry Christmas?"

She finally held the (now slightly mangled) envelope out with a shaking hand; Rachel accepted it with a soft smile and opening it carefully slid out the certificate. Most of it she couldn't understand, but she could make out the numbers that made out her date of birth as well as Quinn's, the name however stood out brightly _**Gretzky's Princess. **_Looking up and into still faintly worried hazel eyes, Rachel swallowed her tears and reaching out pulled the hockey player into a warm embrace. Quinn melted into it immediately and smiled happily, maybe she got it right after all…until she felt the wet warmth of tears against her neck; pulling back in concern she started babbling.

"I…oh god please don't cry, I can change it…whatever you want I'll get you, I promise, please don't be upset."

Wiping her eyes with her gloved hands, Rachel gave a tear tinged laugh and just pulled Quinn closer to her again.

"These are happy tears Gretzky, very happy tears…you did more than okay, I don't care if it's considered clichéd or corny or any of those other synonyms! I care about the thought behind not just the gift but the process you used to choose it…it's as amazing as you are."

Finally reassured that Rachel was happy with the gift, she shuffled forwards on her knees, one hand still entangled with the diva's as she led her to the telescope.

"I located it for you…so that you can see it as well as have the certificate, it's not quite the same as being able to fly up there and pluck one from the sky but it's the closest I could get."

She motioned to the telescope and Rachel almost fell over in her haste to get to it and see her star in person…so to speak. Careful not to jog the telescope and risk losing the position, she leant in carefully and peered into the eyepiece. In the centre of the lens was a brightly burning star, to most people it would look like what it was, a bright yellow blob, but to Rachel, to Rachel it was something precious, something no one could ever take from her. Looking up again, she found her eyes were blurring with tears yet again and she reached out for Quinn who eagerly wrapped her up in a hug, for a while they just held each other like that before the brunette eventually pulled back enough to speak.

"You are one amazing woman Quinn Fabray, you may well consider me to be the one that caused you to believe in yourself again, but believe me when I say that goes both ways. That book is full of things I think about you as well, would you like to hear one I read earlier, I memorised it because I wanted to share it with you."

Swallowing slightly, the blonde found herself nodding loosely, unable to talk at the moment in time. Smiling back softly, Rachel tucked a strand of the unruly blond hair back into the striped woollen beanie Quinn was wearing and spoke softly.

"_Yours is the light by which my spirit's born, you are my sun, my moon, and all my stars_."

Leaning forward Quinn kissed Rachel, it wasn't a soft reassuring kiss this time, it was a passion filled yearning one, it took Rachel's breath away leaving her light headed and feeling as if she really concentrated she could float up and actually touch the star that bore both their names now. After a long moment, the blonde pulled back and touched a hand to Rachel's cheek with a mix of awe and love.

"I…love you, _so _much Rachel Berry."

The brunette wiped at her eyes again even as she smiled and remembering the box in her pocket fished it out to press into Quinn's hands.

"Well, you might want to open this first, again it's a silly corny thing but to you…hopefully, it will mean what it does to me."

Frowning the blonde opened the box, as far as she was concerned she already had her gift which was the pup (whom she still had to name) so she hadn't been expecting anything else. However she couldn't help the grin that spread across her face as she took in the white gold necklace chain with the small hand grenade charm on it, on the bottom of the hand grenade, very carefully engraved to overlap each other were the initials R and Q, she turned and handed the box to Rachel.

"Put it on for me?"

Pleased that Quinn immediately understood the significance of the odd little gift, she eagerly helped fasten the necklace, which the blonde immediately let fall against her chest, tucking it into her layers of clothing.

"It's actually kind of perfect, I mean _seriously _perfect!"

Grinning with a mix of amusement and pleasure, Quinn dug into her jeans pocket and pulled something out.

"I found this one morning when we were running, remember when I was teaching you how to skip stones?"

Thinking back to that morning, the diva groaned faintly as she remembered her less than stellar attempts at emulating the hockey player's skill.

"Sadly yes I do, not one of my finer moments…"

Reaching out, Quinn pulled one of Rachel's hands towards her and turning it palm up, let whatever was in her hand drop into the brunette's. She waited as the little diva looked down curiously and let out her own little bark of laughter. In her hand was a roughly heart shaped stone that had been worn smooth on one edge by the water and left rough on the other. Turning it over, she could make out her initials and Quinn's along with a date, the date she presumed that the stone had been found. Looking up, she smiled at the still grinning hockey player and tackling her in a hug sent the both of them crashing into the pile of cushions giggling.

"So, you have the hand grenade that is me…metaphorically speaking?"

Quinn nodded happily and turned so she was lying on her back, gently encouraging Rachel to lie with her head on her shoulder.

"Yep…and you have my stone heart."

Pausing to squeeze the hand still linked with hers, Rachel murmured.

"Which is anything _but _I might add, at least when you get to know you."

Sighing happily she simply lay in the hockey player's arms, the tree house was heating up nicely causing a pleasant atmosphere that the two of them were lounging in nicely. Above them, even more stars were coming out and smiling slightly, Rachel turned so she could gaze up at the contentedly smiling hockey player next to her.

"I bet you could point out my star even without the telescope couldn't you?"

Chewing on her lip for a moment, one eye screwed shut in concentration Quinn eventually lifted the arm that wasn't holding her girlfriend and she pointed to one of the fainter twinkling lights above them.

"That one there…that's it!"

Laughing in sheer delight, the brunette lay back down and drumming her fingers idly on the solid wall of muscle that was the blonde's midriff, she formulated a list of challenges.

"Okay my little geek…where is Mars?"

Grinning at the faint trace of challenge in her partner's voice, Quinn pulled Rachel closer to her and began to consult the star charts that were etched into her brain. Gradually she pointed out all the planets or constellations that the little diva threw at her, pointing out gently when she named ones which were not visible to the naked eye. They lost track of time, wrapped up together in their own little bubble unaware of the outside world as they slowly fell asleep in their nest of cushions and astronomical talk…it was without a doubt the best Christmas either of them had ever had.

_There you go, last of the Christmas mush…next comes what everyone has been wanting to see apparently lol, Quinn plays a charity hockey match for Bieste and plenty of her old conquests are there meaning jealous Rachel finally makes her appearance! Lol, okay for now that's all she wrote folks, enjoy and feel free to leave me a review if you are so inclined! You are all lovely xoxoxox_


	18. Chapter 18

_Sorry for the delay everyone, RL is being a bit of a bitch right now and that is my only justification, however another chapter of GLF is done and with my Beta reader and there's another on the way…now as for the next chapter of SOTI, what would you guys rather see first? A confrontation between Quinn & Jesse followed by Rachel's dream date for Quinn OR…their brainstorming session for the next competition including the music and costume themes followed by their first real interview with the press? The choice is yours, just let me know in review or by PM if you would prefer! Much love going out to ya'll! xxx_

Quinn was the first to awaken the next morning, at first she blinked in disorientation at the unfamiliar surroundings, then, when she remembered where they were and why, her frown melted into a blissful smile. Glancing to her left, she saw Rachel still curled up against her side and snoring ever so softly, reaching down, the blonde managed to snag one of the many cushions that were scattered around them. Moving deftly, she rolled herself out of the diva's embrace and substituted the cushion, there was a moment when she thought the brunette would wake up but after sighing in her sleep, Rachel merely tightened her grip and settled back down. Standing as much as she could within the confines of the tree house, Quinn stretched her muscles until she heard the familiar series of comforting pops as her spine straightened out. Carefully the hockey player moved the telescope they'd used the previous night before delving into the cool box that had stayed forgotten to the side of the heated blanket.

Luckily a combination of the cool weather and the ice pack in the box meant the treats that had been packed within it were still edible. Moving carefully so as not to awaken the still sleeping diva, Quinn extracted a pot of red berries, another of granola and finally some soy yoghurt that even she couldn't tell from the real thing. Taking out two bowls, she prepared the breakfast before reaching for the flask, frowning critically she wrapped her hands around it to check the warmth. Unhappy with the touch test, the hockey player unscrewed the top and pouring a small amount into the lid sipped it…then promptly swore.

"Son of a…!"

Wincing, she poked her tongue out and reaching a hand out the small window of the tree house, collected a bottle of orange juice she stashed there the night before. She was still fumbling the lid off in an effort to cool her burnt tongue when Rachel's amused yet sleepy voice sounded from the pile of cushions.

"Language Gretzky…"

Finally, and thankfully, dousing her burnt tongue with the ice cold orange juice, Quinn's whole body relaxed with relief and she raised an amused eyebrow before swallowing the mouthful.

"You were _meant _to be asleep while I prepared a simple yet private breakfast for the two of us…then I burnt my tongue."

Sitting up with an adorably (in Quinn's opinion) confused expression, the diva stretched and yawned, scratching absently at her stomach.

"But…we're outside, admittedly with the innovative heated floor we can't feel the cold, but even so we _are _in a tree house in the middle of winter, so how on earth did you burn your tongue?"

Scratching the side of her nose awkwardly, the hockey player waved a hand vaguely towards the flask on the floor next to her, which she belatedly noticed was giving off some rather telling steam.

"Well yeah, I mean I made the drink last night and it's a heavy duty flask but even so I wasn't sure it would have retained the heat well enough…so I tested it."

Smiling slightly, Rachel ran a hand through her hair and shuffled over to the flushed blonde on her knees.

"You didn't notice the copious amounts of steam rising from it then?"

Sighing in defeat at the amused tone of her girlfriend, Quinn let her head hang down for a long moment in embarrassment before mumbling.

"Well…I didn't want to wake you up so half my attention was on preparing breakfast and half was on you cos, well you look real cute when you're sleeping and you do this tiny little snore noise that sounds kinda like a hamster would if it snored?"

Ducking her head with a slight pink flush of her own now, Rachel wrapped her arms around Quinn's waist, pulling her into a light hug as she took in the small bowls of cereal and fruit.

"You prepared all this last night?"

Grinning slightly, the hockey player leant down far enough to press a soft kiss to the crown of the diva's head.

"Is it amazingly organised and thoughtful if I did…or is it just really dumb?"

Giggling into Quinn's shoulder, Rachel sighed happily before running a hand gently through the unbelievably tousled locks.

"How about…cute and so sweet I want to smother you in kisses?"

Groaning faintly, the blonde let her forehead fall against Rachel's and there was a distinct whine to her voice as she opined.

"But…I don't _like _being cute, I wanna be sexy and stuff…"

Unable to stop herself, Rachel laughed softly at the hockey player's pout and pushed gently on the muscled shoulders until the blonde was lying back in the cushions. At that point she straddled her hips and leaning down, kissed her sulking girlfriend softly.

"I hate to break it to you but anyone who pouts like you do is always going to be found cute, and personally I _prefer _cute to sexy, although for the sake of your pride I will confess I find you to be both of those."

Smirking slightly, Quinn raised an eyebrow before putting her hands behind her head and settling down comfortably.

"I am huh?"

Rolling deep brown eyes, the diva poked at the hockey player's ticklish side repeatedly until the smug expression disappeared to be replaced with a begging one.

"Aw come on, take pity on me! I'm your cute yet tough and also sexy skating partner slash girlfriend…you can't treat me like this."

However no matter how hard she wriggled, she couldn't escape the diva's crafty digits and after several more minutes of threats, she resorted to surrendering.

"Okay…Pax centurion, Pax! You rule and I drool."

Puffing her chest out proudly, Rachel did her own version of Quinn's victory dance (much to the hockey player's chagrin) before reaching over to pick up one of the small bowls of cereal and a plastic spoon. After several mouthfuls she licked her lips.

"This is really good, Quinn, shame you can't have any because you sulked like a little kid, but I'll eat yours for you!"

This was a dire situation, Quinn's stomach was rumbling, Rachel had her breakfast in hand and to get it she may just have to do something drastic!

Concentrating on her limited options (given that she was quite happy to allow Rachel to continue sitting on her legs), the hockey player realised she had no other option…the big guns it was going to have to be. Clearing her throat until she had Rachel's attention, Quinn then widened her eyes drastically, allowed her lower lip to poke out in an almost pout and then let it wobble slightly. Mesmerised by both the wide open hazel eyes and the trembling lower lip, Rachel smiled softly and dipping the spoon into the second bowl of cereal, scooped up a mouthful and then held it out. The pout disappeared to be replaced with an incredulous eyebrow arch.

"You're going to feed me?"

Biting the corner of her mouth shyly, the diva nodded.

"I've always thought it's kinda cute when you see couples do it in films…will you let me?"

Unsure about the cute factor, Quinn could not however refuse Rachel, especially when she looked so damned earnest and…gorgeous. Sighing internally, the hockey player relaxed again and with a small smile nodded, she did however murmur a warning.

"Just don't like drop it in my hair or something…kay?"

Grinning, the brunette diva just rolled her eyes before countering smoothly.

"I'm sure I won't get any more food down your front than you manage to do yourself during an average meal…wiseass."

Quinn's 'wiseass' retort was negated by Rachel who swiftly put the spoonful of cereal in her mouth when it was opened. Unable to reply, the blonde just closed her mouth and chewed the cereal hungrily, soon she forgot how weird it was to let her someone feed her and was just enjoying the meal. And to be honest…it actually _was _kind of cute to have the woman she loved feed her. Once the small breakfast was all gone, the brunette set the empty bowl to one side and slowly lowered herself until she was comfortably nestled on top of the muscular hockey player. Lacing her fingers together, she laid her joined hands on Quinn's sternum, propping her chin on them smiling softly.

"Hey there."

Smiling back lazily, the blonde felt the familiar warmth curling in her belly that occurred whenever Rachel looked at her like that…like she was the most important thing in the brunette's world. Swallowing slightly, Quinn knew her own expression was just as dopey and soft as she replied in an almost growl.

"Hey yourself."

Eyes flicking from hazel eyes down to full slightly smiling lips, Rachel tilted her head to one side.

"How's your tongue feeling now…still sore?"

She was so lost in deep chocolate brown eyes that it took a moment for the hockey player to remember what exactly it was the diva was talking about.

"Hmm? Oh! Um, well yeah, it still kinda tingles…why, you wanna kiss it better?"

Quinn's tone was teasing but as Rachel's pupils expanded to turn brown eyes black she found herself swallowing nervously. The diva's smile grew until it was more of a smirk at the very audible gulp she heard the blonde take.

"Well, I think it's my job as your partner to do so…come on Gretzky, let's take a look."

Feeling unfathomably shy, the hockey player slowly poked out the very tip of her slightly reddened tongue, glancing at it with an exaggerated frown, Rachel clicked her own tongue then sighed. Before Quinn could think of, let alone voice a query as to what the diva was thinking about, Rachel moved forward to press a gentle kiss to the protruding muscle. The childish and perhaps almost innocent touch between the two of them had a far from innocent effect on the hockey player. Her breath stilled in her chest and a faint moan sounded at the back of her throat, the lips pressed to her tongue curled into a smile before retreating. Raising a styled brown eyebrow questioningly, the diva drummed the fingertips of one hand against Quinn's sternum.

"You say something there Quinn?"

Quickly withdrawing her tongue to the safe zone behind her lips, the hockey player swallowed hard again before she reached a hand up to caress Rachel's soft cheek, speaking wondrously.

"I…you worry sometimes that things between you and I, that when we finally become physical I'll be disappointed. I mean, you never say it, at least not to me but…I can see it in your eyes Rach. But the fact is you _really_, hand one hundred percent on my battered heart, have no need to feel that way…and do you know why?"

Breathless at the sincerity she could hear in the hockey player's voice, Rachel could only shake her head. Smiling gently, Quinn reached up with her other hand so both were now cupping Rachel's face between them.

"Because you make me feel more with _one _smile, with the words that fall from your lips and the way you hold my hand, than any of those women in the past have ever made me feel."

It was the little diva that found herself swallowing this time, even as Quinn continued to speak in that soft, slightly awed tone she had only ever used around Rachel.

"If anyone should be nervous around here it's me…I mean sure I've had sex, more times than I can remember but, I didn't start because I wanted to and in one way or another, I have always been _performing _the act rather than feeling it. Remember shortly after we won and you took me for the dance in your dad's' ballroom?"

She paused and waited for Rachel's nod before she continued.

"You wondered why after that night we spent together…why I withdrew a little again, why I couldn't sleep properly and ended up having that stupid accident?"

Here she paused to give a self deprecating smile and run her tongue over the cut on her lower lip, which was currently a vivid red as it continued to heal over, again the brunette nodded gently, careful not to dislodge the hockey player's hands from where they held her.

"I…want you to know that at the time it was something that was hard for me to talk about, hard to admit…although I _did _finally talk to Santana and it helped, made it feel like less of a burden. But here and now I realise that it is you I should tell, you that I _want _to tell…not because I want your sympathy or your pity but because I want you to know me, all of me that is, the good and the bad. However some of it isn't easy to hear and if you don't want to then…"

She got no further as Rachel lunged forward to press her lips against Quinn's, stilling the words that were still lined up at the forefront of the blonde's mind, ready to be trooped out when needed. After an initial split seconds shock, the hockey player closed her eyes and relaxed into the kiss…a kiss that soon went from reassuring and gentle to passionate and explorative. Neither one of them had done much above heavy making out and even then the only skin to skin contact was hands on lower backs or hips, _this _however was quickly yet inevitably growing far more heated than that. After the loving thought that had been put into the gifts they had given each other, followed by the conversation they had just had it was almost inevitable really. Rachel was starting to react to the feelings in her body, almost without conscious thought.

Still sprawled over Quinn, who was flat on her back, the little brunette gasped as she felt her alert nipples brush lightly over the hockey player's equally as pointed ones. The reaction her body had to that simple touch was…eye opening, and as if it was on automatic pilot, she felt herself arching up slightly to encourage another touch, even as her mouth worked more enthusiastically over Quinn's. The hockey player was lost in a haze of pleasure unlike anything she had ever felt before, I mean _sure, _she knew how to kiss and she knew how to please a woman no matter what their 'preference' when it came to physical acts of love. But this…well _this _was something else entirely, because as well as delivering the pleasure she was receiving it, she began to get a glimpse of what love should be, and how it should have felt to lose her virginity. An act of trust and love between two people that could never again be replicated, it was a gift she wished she could give to Rachel.

That thought was blown away when she felt the tip of the brunette's tongue flick over the roof of her mouth, growling in the back of her throat, she let her hands move until they had a loose grip on Rachel's shoulders. She rolled them so she had the more dominant position above the diva, one leg falling naturally between Rachel's…both of them sighing as they relaxed into each other's embrace. Quinn's calloused yet surprisingly gentle hands slid up under the diva's jumper to brush lightly over the sides of her breasts. Arching into the gentle but tantalising touch, Rachel almost found herself begging for Quinn to grip harder; instead she bit down gently on the unwounded side of the hockey player's lower lip. Quinn's spine arched at the gentle nip, her knee brushing across Rachel's centre, the diva gasped loudly at the fleeting electric touch as her own knee rose to made contact with Quinn's equally hyper alert groin.

Neither of them wanted to go much further but were so caught up in what their bodies were telling them that it was hard to find the reason, let alone the willpower, to stop. Luck however was on their side and a split second before Quinn's hand slid across to take hold of Rachel's breast fully, the dulcet tones of Irene Cara's _'What A Feeling' _rang out loud enough to cause them to spring apart in shock. Blinking passion-clouded eyes, Quinn realised belatedly that it was her iPhone blaring and fumbled it out of her pocket with difficulty. Clearing her throat and trying to clear her mind of the lethargy brought on by the lust that was still moving sluggishly through her veins.

"Um…hello?"

There was a chuckle on the other end of the line that helped to clear the blonde's mind.

"You sure about that Fabray, you sound kinda out of it, heavy night on the town was it?"

Finally recognising the voice of Shannon Bieste, the hockey player smiled faintly, it was good to hear from her old friend again, especially as it had stopped both skaters from doing something that neither of them was emotionally ready for. Letting out a relieved laugh, the blonde ran a hand through her mussed hair and discreetly looked away as Rachel put herself back together.

"Yeah sorry about that…late night bit was right but not the booze, you know I'm a good girl now coach B! So…to what do I owe the pleasure of this call?"

Shannon laughed this time but hers was a full-throated one that caused Quinn to grin in response.

"Well I'd love to say I was calling simply because I missed your fantastic and scintillating company, but we both know that would be a lie! Actually scratch that last comment as I'm calling to ask you a favour and that isn't the best way to go about getting you to agree."

Snorting her agreement, Quinn spared a small smile for Rachel and silently they started packing away the remains of their impromptu breakfast as the blonde carried on her conversation with Shannon.

"Okay, cut the pretty talk and come out with it, you need me to kick one of your players into shape or something?"

There was a sigh followed by 'the tone' and Quinn felt herself begin to grin, whenever coach B used 'the tone' it meant that she needed a favour she knew Quinn was going to enjoy doing.

"Actually I need you as a warm body out on the ice, I have the usual charity match on tonight and three of my guys just dropped out with stomach flu, I've rung everyone around that I can think of and I know you're home with your girl but…I could really do with your power out front tonight…what do you say?"

The initial impulse to leap in with a positive response was dulled when she did indeed realise that she was home with 'her girl' (and boy how much did _that _little phrase cause her to grin inside) and so looked over to the brunette. Rachel had a rough idea what the conversation had been about, and was semi prepared when Quinn turned to her, chewing on her upper lip.

"Hey Princess, would you mind if I went to a hockey match tonight? Coach B needs an extra player?"

Rachel's brown eyes lit up and she grinned widely.

"That is a definite yes…as long as I can come too, I haven't gotten to see Gretzky in action yet, well, not in full on hockey star mode anyway."

Trying to ignore the red flush she could feel creeping its way up her face from her neck, the blonde rubbed the back of her neck and coughed slightly. She didn't even have to ask Shannon as they both heard the woman's laughter and reply reverberating down the phone line.

"Yeah, Rachel can come Fabray, it would be good to see her again…and of course to support her when she swoons at your hockey playing star power."

Face palming with a loud groan, Quinn just shook her head and endured the laughter from both Rachel next to her and Shannon over the phone. Once both women had suitably calmed down, the hockey player cleared her throat and with a pointed mock glare at the little diva, she half growled.

"Fine I'm there, just give me the time and place and be thankful that I'm feeling generous right now."

Once she had arranged the time to meet and where, Quinn hung up the phone and tucked it back into her pocket before she caught hold of Rachel by wrapping an arm around the diva's waist. Yelping in pleased shock, the brunette giggled as she allowed the hockey player to pull her into the cuddle from behind.

"I suppose you thought that was amusing huh? Embarrassing me in front of coach B like that, you're damn lucky I love you Princess."

Pressing her hands tightly over the top of Quinn's where they rested on her midriff, Rachel half turned towards the hockey player and spoke quietly.

"How much?"

Pulling back from where she was lightly nuzzling the diva's neck, Quinn raised a curious eyebrow.

"How much do I love you?"

Nodding shyly, Rachel linked her fingers through the blonde's calloused ones and chewed on the corner of her lower lip as she awaited the answer. Quinn smiled softly, no one had ever asked her something like that before, she'd read about sweet exchanges like this but now she was supposed to be part of one her mind went annoyingly blank. Never let it be said however that Quinn Fabray walked away from a challenge.

"Um…well I love you more than ice hockey?"

Smile turning into a grin, Rachel kept hold of Quinn's hands as they made their way towards the door of the tree house deciding to come back for the rest of the gear later.

"You do huh?, What about figure skating, do you love me more than that?"

Pretending to think for a moment as she opened the door, Quinn finally nodded emphatically.

"Yep, I guess I do!"

Descending to the bottom of the tree first, Quinn waited until Rachel made it down as well then wrapped her in another hug…that was when the difficult question came!

"But…if you had the choice between me for the rest of your life and a lifetime's supply of Reese's food stuffs, _free_, for the rest of your life…what would you pick then!"

Jaw dropping open in shock, the blonde feigned a swoon before leaning heavily on the little diva.

"Why would you _do _that Rachel Berry, why would you wave the possibility of something so amazing in front of me like that huh?"

Raising an eyebrow, Rachel smiled in stunned disbelief.

"Wow, you really like that damn peanut butter chocolate stuff don't you?"

Grinning widely, Quinn swept Rachel into her arms and started walking back towards the house before she replied.

"Actually I meant the prospect of the rest of my life with you Rach, _that's _the amazing possibility you waved in front of me."

Sliding one hand up to play softly with the hairs at the nape of the hockey player's neck, Rachel smiled softly.

"You know for a self confessed user of women you certainly know how to use that silver tongue of yours Gretzky."

Raising a blonde eyebrow cheekily, Quinn opened her mouth to say something but realising belatedly the double entendre she had just wandered into, the diva reached up with her free hand and covered the blonde's mouth.

"Yes, I realise that I just said something that could be taken a certain way, but I also know that as you are aware of my sensibilities, you will resist the crude remark you would no doubt normally use in this situation under other circumstances."

Rolling hazel eyes, Quinn nonetheless nodded and waited for Rachel to remove her hand.

"You take _all _the fun out of being crude Princess."

They were both surprised when Santana poked her head out of the back door and feigning irritation jumped into the conversation.

"Would you two just get your asses in here already! We have been waiting for you to get into this damn house for the last ten minutes, if you flirt anymore you'll even embarrass our moms and _they've _been acting like honeymooners since they started jumping each other's bones again."

Quinn would be lying if she didn't admit to a certain amount of satisfaction when she watched the familiar hand of her mom reach out and clip her sister round the ear. Smirking widely, the blonde set her girlfriend down and headed inside, once the door was closed behind them and their snow-covered boots taken off again, she shrugged slightly.

"So what's the emergency, you knew where we were so is there any special reason you have been waiting for my admittedly amazing presence."

With a dismissive snort, Santana rolled her eyes and murmured about big headed flirts, this time it was Rachel who reached out and clipped her round the ear lightly. Quinn froze at the action wondering what the Latina might do, to her surprise however Santana just rolled her eyes again and swept an arm towards the lounge where everyone else (except her and Sofia) was presumably waiting.

"Dave's back with a little friend that you two know, figured you might want to get in here and support him!"

Although the wicked smirk signified that this particular form of 'support' would be the siblings' usual one, consisting of teasing and revealing cringe worthy moments that Dave would most likely prefer to forget. Quinn smirked in return and as one the two sisters bolted towards the living room, almost tripping over each other in their haste to 'support' their poor brother. Sighing fondly, Rachel glanced across and up to Sofia who looked half exasperated and half resigned.

"I'm should just assume that they're never going to change right?"

Laughing lightly, Sofia slung an arm round the brunette's shoulders and steered her towards the lounge.

"Nope, you may be able to civilise Quinn to a certain extent but when it comes to those three together they will always act like this. Oddly…I wouldn't have it any other way, maybe it's because they didn't have the best childhood the first time round but, they're closer than most birth siblings I know, even if they _do _like making each others lives hell from time to time."

Just before they entered the living room, Rachel pulled back and when Sofia looked at her questioningly, she tucked a strand of hair nervously behind her ear before speaking.

"I just…wanted you to know that I think what you and Lily have done is amazing, obviously I love Quinn but Santana and Dave are also two of the most wonderful people I have ever met and…well, thank you…for everything you did for all of them but especially for saving Quinn. She still hasn't told me everything that happened but I think she's almost ready to and none of that would have happened if not for you and Lily."

Sofia was a woman of the world, or so she liked to think, but the slightly nervous yet honest speech the little brunette had just given her caused her throat to close over with emotion. Instead of replying, the tall blonde simply hugged Rachel closer to her for a long moment and kissed the top of her head.

"Yeah well…they were all good kids who just needed someone to give them a chance, but _you're _the one who really saved Quinn and don't ever forget that kiddo."

Before Rachel could reply or enquire what Sofia meant they were both in the living room, immediately Dave looked over to her with a pleading expression as Quinn and Santana regaled Kurt (their not so surprise visitor) with tales of Dave's attempts at various sports, the results ranging from broken limbs to sheer embarrassment. The little skater smiled over at Rachel shyly and she winked back reassuringly before leaping to Dave's rescue.

"Quinn! Stop embarrassing your brother unless you want me to share with everyone your initial attempts to use the toe pick?"

Abruptly closing her mouth, the blonde subsided, settling in next to the grinning diva, Santana rolled her eyes, coughing the word whipped into her hand which caused Quinn to scowl faintly…up until Rachel kissed her that is. After that the conversation flowed easily as they talked about a little of everything with, of course, the odd break for snacks and drinks. About five o clock though, Quinn stood up and made her excuses, or tried to…when they found out what she was doing that evening however everyone decided that a night at a hockey game was exactly what they needed. Even Quinn's hastily mumbled excuses about there probably not being any tickets left at this rate were swept aside when Brittany pointed out that the grocery store she worked at was sponsoring the event and the employees had their own box, Rachel shrugged and nudged Quinn with her own shoulder good naturedly.

"Face it Gretzky, this has now become a family outing…besides which it's not like they haven't all seen you play before so what's the big deal?"

Scratching her nose, the hockey player darted her gaze around as they made their way to the car, at least they got to drive to the match in private!

"Well yeah I mean they have, but they don't tend to stick around for the party afterwards…and this time they're _all _planning to."

Still failing to see the problem with this, the little diva held her hands out to the side questioningly, as Quinn revved the engine and pulled out of the driveway she sighed heavily.

"I…well this is the sort of thing that old Quinn would very much have been part of if you get my drift…it's that sort of crowd and I really didn't want you to have to see any more of _that _Quinn, plus I certainly don't want my moms seeing that!"

Smiling slightly at the awkward look in the hazel eyes now concentrating on the road, Rachel let out a small chuckle.

"In case you'd forgotten, when I first met you, you were very much that Quinn and a complete pain in the ass to boot! That isn't you now, unless…"

The diva suddenly trailed off uncertainly and it was Quinn's turn to frown in confusion as she glanced across, taking in the worried expression coupled with way the brunette was wringing her hands together.

"Whoa…hey there princess, you're right I'm not _that _Quinn anymore, so why the frown lines?"

Shifting in her seat, Rachel forced her hands to still before using all her willpower to smile bravely.

"It's just that…you're only this _new _Quinn around me and our families and I appreciate that you may not be ready to present that new Quinn to the rest of your friends. I'm just saying that if you want to…act more like the old Quinn I'll understand and I don't think Santana would mind letting me hang out with her and Brittany for the night, or I could be the third wheel to Kurt and Dave?"

Unsure what aspect of that little speech to answer first, Quinn rubbed the back of her neck before returning her hand to the steering wheel. She actually felt a little sick at the idea that Rachel would willingly step back and let her act like a womanising ass just to protect the reputation she used to be so proud of. Pulling off to the side of the road, the hockey player paused for a long time and then letting out a long breath turned to face the puzzled brunette.

"I would _never _ask you to do something like that…why would you think I would? Rachel I _love _you! I know that to you that might seem like just words but I have never in all my messed up excuse of a life been able to say that to anyone until you."

Pausing for a moment, she became aware there were tears spilling down her cheeks but she ignored them, needing to finish what she had started, needing to make Rachel understand.

"Before, my reputation was all I had and all I cared about, now I couldn't care less about it! If they can't handle the fact that I'm a figure skater who is in love with the most wonderful woman in the world then tough shit! What scares me more is that you think so little of yourself that you would stand by and watch other women hanging off of me all night just to protect something that isn't real. But what _we _have is real, what _we _have is what should need protecting…right?"

Realising that her ill intentioned offer to stand back and allow Quinn to act like a douche had back fired hideously, Rachel unbuckled her seat belt and surged forwards to pull the suddenly trembling hockey player close to her in a crushing embrace.

"Oh sweetheart no! That was _never _what I intended, yes we have something worth protecting and I never wanted you to think otherwise it's just…I also don't want to push you away, I don't want to be the type of wife that demands you spend all your time with me acting the perfect partner. Please don't think that I would ever push you away or be ashamed of you, even when you _were _acting like dumb ass Quinn I still saw the real you and fell in love, I _am _in love with you!"

Throughout the hurried speech, she peppered kisses over every inch of the blonde's face, trying to ease away the sudden tears that were leaking from hazel eyes. Sniffing slightly, the hockey player managed a half smile as she finally let her hands slip from the steering wheel to wrap around the diva's neck, pulling her as close as the gear stick would allow. For a long moment they just held each other, Quinn was shocked by the hurricane of emotions that had swept through her at the thought that Rachel may have even entertained the possibility that the two of them would be anything but glued to each others side. For her part, the diva was taken aback by how vociferously the hockey player had objected the idea and defended what they had together. She had just wanted to make sure Quinn felt comfortable in her home town and wouldn't have to put on an act, which was all very well, aside from the fact that the blonde had _already _dropped her act to become who she really was. After a few minutes, Quinn pulled back and focused on one word that Rachel had unconsciously let slip during her tirade.

"Um…princess, are you aware that you referred to me as your _wife _just then?"

Eyes widening, the brunette clapped a hand to her now open mouth, unsure what she should say to backtrack from that little faux pas.

"Well…that was um…a metaphorical wife rather than an actual wife, as in ah…well we live together sort of, we work together and are dating, so yeah…metaphorical wife!"

She smiled brightly, her best skating out on the ice, please vote for me smile and Quinn had to force her own amusement into submission. Rachel was just too cute when she got flustered like this, besides it wasn't that the blonde took exception to the idea so much as…

"It's just that, if we _were _metaphorically married then how come I'm the girl all of a sudden? I mean I skate the guy's part after all so wouldn't I technically be the metaphorical husband?"

Rachel was now chewing on her lower lip so hard Quinn was worried that she would split the skin but the chance to tease the brunette when it was more often Quinn herself who was the subject of such teasing was just too good to resist. Shifting back into the passenger seat and beginning to gesticulate with her hands, the little diva was halfway into yet another explanation when she caught onto the twinkle in hazel eyes.

"You…you're _teasing _me!"

Finally letting her grin escape fully, Quinn doubled over with the previously restrained laughter.

"I'm sorry that was just too good a chance to pass up…if it's any consolation then I seriously wouldn't mind whether I was the husband _or _the wife in our little metaphorical marriage."

Allowing a half relieved, half amused smile to replace her mild scowl, Rachel just shook her head slightly and shoved at the hockey player's shoulder.

"You are such an ass Fabray! I was really worried you were about to freak out and run a mile…jeez talk about mild heart attack!"

There was a few moments of giggling and eye wiping before Quinn reached across and stole a quick kiss, after that she pulled back onto the road and they lapsed into a comfortable silence. As the bright lights of the town's ice rink came into view, Quinn felt a grin light her face up, a part of her was looking forward to getting back into a hockey game, and if perhaps a part of her also wanted to perform for Rachel, well then, that was an added bonus. Parking in the players' section and grabbing her kit bag with one hand, she slung it over her shoulder, lacing her fingers through one of Rachel's hands with her own free one as they walked over to where the rest of the guys were waiting for them. Just before they reached them however, Rachel stopped and tugged on the hockey player's hand.

"Hey…about earlier, I _am _really sorry okay? I just want you to know that I never doubted your commitment to me Gretzky, I don't think I could after everything you do to make me feel special…I just wasn't sure that I could…that I was as good at returning that feeling to you."

Smiling softly, the hockey player squeezed the smaller hand in hers.

"Hey, one thing you should never worry about is how special you make me feel okay? It's you and me against the world Princess, now get ready to cheer for me because I know how loud that voice of yours can get and I want to hear it!"

Grinning proudly, Rachel nodded and tugged on the calloused hand in hers until they were in front of the rest of the Berry and Fabray family ensemble. Lily raised a curious eyebrow at Quinn who winked back reassuringly and then surrendered (not that she was given much choice) the diva's hand to Dave who swept her into his arms while Kurt giggled. With Rachel suitably distracted, Quinn caught hold of Santana's elbow and steered her slightly aside from the rest of the group. At first the Latina opened her mouth to engage in their usual banter but catching the serious light behind hazel eyes, she subsided and decided to just wait.

"Look…can you maybe just…try and keep Rachel from seeing anything in there that might make her feel insecure?"

Frowning in confusion, the Latina propped her hands on her hips.

"I can't keep her away from _everyone _tall Q bear!"

Groaning and slapping her free hand to her forehead, Quinn tried again.

"That's _not _what I meant, and for the record you really aren't that much taller than her! But anyway, what I was trying to get at is you know there are going to be some of my former um…conquests in there and the last thing I need is them firing their mouths off, she's already kinda worried she isn't going to…look, just…S, I don't even know what I'm asking but I do know I don't want her hurt."

To her mild surprise, the Latina passed up the chance to mock her flustered sister and just smiled slightly, holding up her hands in a calming gesture.

"It's fine blondie I get what you're driving at and I'll do my best okay but…you slept with like half the women in the hockey crowd Quinn, if not more!"

Face flaming a bright red, the hockey player could only nod ashamedly and duck her head murmuring.

"I know and I don't expect miracles but…steer her away from the worst of the gossip huh?"

Rolling her eyes, Santana thumped Quinn's shoulder in their usual gesture of solidarity before gently pushing her towards the locker rooms.

"I'm on it…now get the hell in there and show her your butch side!"

Grinning despite the worry that was still simmering in the back of her mind, Quinn nodded and with a last wink and kiss blown in the diva's direction ran off to get changed. Santana watched her go and then turned back to the rest of the family.

"Right come on you rowdy bunch, let's get inside and lubricate our pipes so we can yell for number thirteen !"

Yells of approval followed that and Brittany led the way in and up to the employee box, there were a lot of people there but before this Brittany hadn't told anyone but Santana that she was one of the managers. They got a chunk of the seats right at the front and Dave and Kurt left to get an order of drinks in, as Rachel sat down and took in the excited and packed to capacity crowd she turned to the Latina.

"Wow, I never knew a local game like this could get so many people!"

Raising a dark eyebrow, Santana drawled out.

"Well we aren't exactly in the back woods here midget, plus, Quinn always attracts a crowd like this, she really is good enough to have gone pro. Though in retrospect, I think things worked out for the best."

Lips curving in a smirk, Rachel added.

"Even though it means there's a high chance that a midget will become part of your family?"

Rolling her eyes, the Latina shoved at the giggling diva's shoulder, Dave rescued her from any further vocal retribution however when he placed a glass of fruit juice into her hands. Taking a grateful sip, Rachel let her eyes roam over the crowded arena, taking in the many, many people that had come to watch the match. There were more than one or two groups wearing replica number 13 jerseys and she smiled proudly, well she did until she took in a particular bunch of women down the front. They had on the replica journeys alright, but they were halter versions and they each had the mark ten out of ten on them, frowning in confusion, Rachel nudged Santana lightly with her elbow. Breaking off her conversation with her mom, the Latina flicked a kernel of popcorn at the little diva with a grin.

"What is it short round?"

Rolling her eyes in reluctant fondness at this particular nickname of hers the Latina liked, Rachel pointed to the hardly dressed women down in the front.

"Why do their jersey's have scores on them and Quinn's number in small on the breast?"

Flinching slightly, Santana tried to think fast, after all, she was pretty sure that telling the little diva that they were marks for Quinn's abilities in bed constituted one of the things her sister had asked her to steer the diva away from. Rubbing her forehead, she was just finalising her story (which revolved around goals in a match, something she was quite proud of coming up on the spot with) when the lights dimmed and the announcer skated in with a huge grin and the microphone. Rachel waved a hand to Santana, letting her off the hook for now as she was more interested in seeing her girlfriend skate out onto the ice. Breathing a sigh of relief, Santana retreated to the safety of Brittany's arms and made a point to avoid the conversation next time. After telling them how much had been raised (3,246 dollars) for the local children's home, the announcer introduced the two teams. The first team out were the competitors from the next town over, there had always been a friendly rivalry between the two towns and this showed in charity hockey, baseball, softball and football matches.

To rousing cheers and flag waving, the Redfern Raptors skated out in their bright red and white jersey's, their star seemed to be number 8, a Jimmy Barton, he was a young guy who was about six feet tall and almost the same width-wise. Despite knowing it was a friendly match, Rachel swallowed nervously and prayed that Quinn would be careful out there. Seconds later the home team was announced and Shannon skated out in her coach's gear followed by the team, all in their black and silver jersey's sporting the Timber Wolf emblem the team was named for, surprisingly the announcer passed the microphone to Bieste who smiled wickedly at Quinn, the last to join the team on the ice. Rachel had easily spotted the blonde hockey player, even if she hadn't had known she was number 13 she would have known her from the far smoother skating style and her proud grin got so wide it threatened to split the skin. Her attention quickly shifted to Shannon however when the woman addressed the crowd happily.

"Wow, good turnout as usual! Look's like a lot of people are looking forward to a damn good game of ice hockey!"

The crowd roared their approval and stamped their feet, something Rachel enthusiastically found herself joining in with to her own surprise. Shaking her head slightly, Shannon carried on as she gestured to Quinn, who had an inkling of what was about to happen and turned to make a hasty exit when her two friends (former friends now, she vowed to herself with a scowl) Ben and Dougie caught hold of her arms and kept her there.

"Excellent, and I'm sure you are all well aware of number 13, also known as Quinn Fabray!"

Another slightly louder roar of applause (during which Santana made sure to yell right next to Rachel to mask the more lascivious cheers she knew would occur) which caused the hockey player in question to rub the back of her neck slightly embarrassed before raising it in a half wave. Shannon chuckled and motioned Quinn over to her, not without trepidation the blonde did as ordered, a weird feeling settling in the pit of her stomach as she noticed the big screen had been lowered, something that was rarely used unless it was a final or an awards ceremony. She looked up at Shannon with a warning eyebrow raised but the coach just winked at her before addressing the crowd again.

"What many of you may _not _know is where and what exactly our little phenom has been, now we always knew that Twin Falls was too small a place for Quinn and she would one day make it big. Well guess what…she did! Let me show you something, show you how amazing our small town star is!"

She gestured to the big screen and Quinn frowned for a moment before she realised it was a home video, a damn good home video, but a home video nonetheless of the winning routine that she and Rachel had skated. She peered up where her family were sitting, knowing it would have been the work of one of them, it was inadvertently and she made a note to never underestimate Brittany again. Eyes glued to the screen for a while, the blonde eventually tore them away to glance around the crowd, these people had known her for over a decade now and the way some of them were staring at the screen she was pretty sure they would have been less shocked if it had been an alien and a T-Rex performing the routine. She grinned widely however when she caught Rachel's eye and winked, reassuring the diva that she was in no way embarrassed about this, blindsided yes but hell…they had looked _good_! When it ended the applause started up again and Shannon gestured to Quinn before handing the microphone, never one to shy away from the limelight (though doing it sober was a whole different experience) the blonde took her helmet off and shrugged a shoulder.

"Um…well thanks I guess, but I only got that way because of a lot of training and a lot of support, none more so than from my family who are hiding in the box up there!"

She pointed upward and the spotlight was swung over that way, her mom's flushed a bright red but half waved while Santana just smirked and yelled back down towards her sister.

"Yeah and it almost drove me nuts, I'm only doing it so I can leech off of you when you make it big!"

Smirking as the crowd laughed, Quinn swiftly riposted.

"So what else is new!"

Once the laughter died down however, the blonde caught Rachel's eyes and winked again.

"But the biggest reason I'm on the road to the Winter Olympics and gold…is Rachel Berry, the best skating partner, best friend and most awesome girlfriend a person could ask for."

The spotlight swung over to Rachel but the little diva had her eyes locked onto soft hazel ones and didn't even notice. She blew a kiss down towards the ice, and completely uncaring about the fact she was pretty much taking a dump all over her hard ass womanising image, Quinn reached up to catch it, placing it over her heart. The majority of the crowd awed and applauded the little display though there _was _also some muted confused whispering which went largely ignored, Shannon took the microphone and after patting Quinn on the back, roared enthusiastically.

"Now let's play some god damned hockey!"

This time the whole crowd went nuts and both teams skated to their sidelines eager to get on with the game. Lights swirled round the rink and music boomed as the Raptors prepared to take the charity cup from the defending champions the Timber Wolves. The game was fast, fierce and highly entertaining and despite Rachel having to occasionally ask Dave or Kurt, who had turned out to be surprisingly well informed about the game, what was going on, she found herself sucked in. In fact when the ref ruled that Quinn had been high sticking and sent her to the sin bin, Rachel's voice was one of the loudest in the rink as she yelled her disapproval.

"That's not high sticking, what a crock! She was off balance because number 16 is a total _dick _and almost sent her flying!"

Santana widened her eyes in amused shock at the vociferous yelling while Dave grinned, clapping Rachel on the back and yelling his encouragement. Rolling their eyes, both set's of parents turned their attention back to the game though they may have had to hide smiles at the uncharacteristic behaviour the little diva was displaying. Three minutes later, Quinn burst out of the cage and back onto the ice, in her next drive forward to gain control of the puck, she almost fell but at the last minute turned it into a mini axel, Rachel yelled and cheered loudly. Seconds later, the puck slammed home and just because she could, Quinn skated a mini moonwalk that had the rest of her team high fiving and the Raptors shaking their heads in mild disbelief. When the action picked back up, Rachel examined Quinn's style more closely and found herself smirking at the number of subtle figure skating moves the blonde had managed to integrate into the game. After two more goals from the Raptors and another from the Timber Wolves, the score was twelve to both teams, the halftime whistle sounded and both teams headed to their own changing rooms, eager for a drink. Rachel was almost jumping in her seat with anticipation for the second half and turning to Kurt, she placed a hand on his knee before talking eagerly.

"This is actually really good fun isn't it, I mean Quinn always told me it was but I never believed her…she's really good isn't she Kurt, did you see that mini axle when she scored her fifth goal? Very clever, how long have you been a fan of hockey anyway and are you and Dave dating because if you aren't you really should and if you are I'm so happy for you because he's such a sweetheart!"

Accustomed to the diva's babbling by now, Santana and Brittany (who were sat behind them) just smirked. Dave rolled his eyes fondly while Kurt's eyes widened at the barrage of words that was just aimed at him, after quickly deciphering what she had actually said he half smiled.

"Wow…okay I think I heard most of that, now let me see if I can answer it in the right order."

Clearing his throat, he paused before forging ahead, Rachel just remained smiling happily, still flushed and excited from the game.

"Quinn is an exceptional hockey player yes, but I think she is a better figure skater, she has more passion for it. I know about hockey because before my father accepted me for who I am, he signed me up in a pee-wee league, that didn't work out but we still watch games together. As for myself and David, well we are taking it slow but yes, he most definitely is a sweetheart and I shall be doing my best to make dating him my number one aim."

His eyes twinkled at that and he spared a smile for Dave who was blushing and smiling shyly in return. Belatedly, Rachel realised how much like the Spanish Inquisition she was acting and slapped a hand over her mouth before wincing and apologising.

"Wow, guys I'm _so _sorry it's just…this is a really great night and you're really great guys and Quinn is just really sexy out there on the ice and for some reason I'm like super happy and really, _really _sorry I let my mouth run away with me. Plus I love the idea that I have an actual friend other than Puck on the figure skating circuit now."

Her smile faltered then and she looked at Kurt again worriedly, lower lip tucked into her mouth as she muttered lowly.

"I mean…we are friends now aren't we?"

Kurt smiled softly and reaching out he patted Rachel's knee gently.

"Of course we are, after all if I don't get gold then I at least would love to say I know the two ladies that did! Besides which…we may all end up in the same extended family one day so we almost have to get along!"

He winked to show he was joking and Rachel grinned back before hugging him impulsively, after a moments surprise he hugged back and they both relaxed. As they broke apart, Rachel reached across his shoulder and shoved lightly at Santana's knee, disengaging from the kiss she had been enjoying with Brittany, the Latina glared.

"What is it short round?"

Rolling her eyes, the brunette stamped her foot.

"I need to go to the bathroom and I have no idea where I'm going, will you or Brittany please come with me?"

Santana was on the verge of telling her just to follow the signs when the brunette pulled out the pout, gritting her teeth, the Latina reluctantly stood and sighing heavily led the way. Rachel was humming happily as she skipped alongside Santana and that caused the Latina to drop her scowl in favour of an amused frown.

"Are you slightly blitzed there Rach?"

The diva rolled her eyes and shoved playfully at Santana's shoulder.

"Don't be silly, I don't drink! Never touched a drop because apparently it makes you do silly things and Rachel Berry is not silly! All I've had is those red and yellow fruit drinks that Brittany has, they have an unusual taste but I really like them."

Caught between a smirk and a look of alarm, the Latina rubbed her hand down her face and decided to go with the smirk, after all, so long as someone was with Rachel she shouldn't get _that _hammered on Tequila Sunrises! Pushing her way into the bathroom with a shake of her head, Santana rolled her eyes at the inevitable queue but decided waiting with Rachel meant Kurt and Dave could at least get some alone time, well, _semi _alone time anyway. After a short pause, she heard Rachel sigh and determined that she wouldn't look across, she was beginning to learn that with the diva, a sigh especially a loud one, usually meant she wanted something. Not a minute after that and only two people ahead in the queue, the sigh happened again, louder this time and despite her good intentions the Latina glanced across at the diva…and got caught in another pout. After trying to ignore it for a few brief seconds, she threw her hands up in surrender.

"What do you want?"

Smiling sweetly, or trying to at least, Rachel pulled on Santana's sleeve.

"I really want one of those jersey's with Quinn's number on it, can you find me one, I'll pay you back but I don't want to miss the second half and by the time I finally manage to get to use the bathroom I won't have time to get a shirt."

Gritting her jaw for a moment, the Latina muttered under her breath before sighing.

"Fine but you do not get to use that damn pout on me one more time this holiday…clear!"

Smiling happily, the little brunette nodded before reaching up on impulse and planting a sloppy kiss on Santana's cheek.

"Kay! Thanks Tana!"

Rolling her eyes, the Latina headed off, still mumbling what were no doubt obscenities under her breath and glowering at hapless passer-bys. Back in the bathroom, most of the crowd had thinned out and Rachel had finally and definitely thankfully made it into a stall, sighing in relief, she heard silence for a moment as the last of the previous occupants left and then the door slammed open again, hard enough to make her jump. The girls were obviously already in the middle of a conversation and had no qualms about carrying it on as they went about their business. Now Rachel wasn't an intentional eavesdropper but it was hardly eavesdropping when they were talking loud enough for the crypt keeper to hear them!

"Do you really believe they're actually doing it? I mean…it's gotta be a publicity gimmick right because there is no way 'howler' Fabray would go with someone that…vanilla!"

Upon hearing her girlfriend's name, Rachel's ears pricked up and leaning forward she peered through a crack in the door, her eyes narrowed as she saw it was the girls in halter top versions of Quinn's jersey. Before she could say or do anything, there was a snort from the cubicle next to her as someone replied.

"Definitely a publicity thing, Quinn likes variety in her diet and even if she were to settle down it wouldn't be with someone homely, she likes the wild side…hey maybe if we can get her alone tonight then we can talk her into that group thing, whaddya think Tori?"

From the cubicle the other side of Rachel, a throaty and eager voice piped up.

"Oh hell yes! Three of us, her and several tubs of very _dark _ice cream."

All three laughed and Rachel found herself getting angrier and angrier with these women, she didn't know them and from the sound of it she most definitely didn't want to, how _dare _they objectify Quinn that way! If they said one more thing…

"Maybe this time we can actually get her clothes off of her, if there are three of us then we can finally get a close up look at the muscles she hides…I personally can't wait to sink my teeth into her…"

That was as far as the conversation got because at that second Rachel slammed her cubicle door open, eyes narrowed dangerously as she took in the startled expressions of three young women. Realising who had overheard their plans, two of them had the good grace to look slightly guilty, the third however (Tori, if Rachel recalled correctly) just smirked at her and went back to re-applying her lipstick.

"Oh calm down sugar…I won't blow your cover, we just want to play with your toy for a bit. After all it's quite clear that _you _don't know what to do with her, all that cutesy kiss blowing thing…_really _not her style!"

A slow smile crept over the diva's lips and she felt the familiar calm she always got right before she lost it, unfortunately none of the people in the small bathroom knew that, if they had then they may well have left then and there. Pretending to think for a moment the brunette then looked the platinum blonde up and down very, very carefully. Tori squinted her over made up eyes in a glare.

"Why don't you take a picture, maybe you'll learn something sugar."

Smile colder than ever, Rachel's tone was even but incredibly clear as she spoke.

"If I wanted your picture Tori, I would simply buy the latest issue of truckers skanks, or maybe that's a bit high brow for anyone who would want you in their lives for longer than the ten seconds it takes to fuck you."

Tori's mouth hung open in shock and Rachel propped her hands on her hips as she took in the startled expressions of the other two women, also both bleached blonde with tan's so dark they looked like a leather sofa.

"As for you two? Do you really think Quinn wants anything to do with you because believe me when I tell you she does not! As for getting naked with you, it's no wonder she didn't bother…now I'm going to say this to you but only once, if I _ever _catch you demeaning or objectifying my girlfriend again, I will personally pluck out every one of your over bleached hairs one by one!"

Flipping her hair over her shoulder, she started to walk over to the door, pausing when Tori managed to stutter a belated objection.

"You can't come in here and talk to us like that you uptight little bitch, use all the fancy words you want but we _all _know you won't act on them!"

She ended in a smirk and glancing to her left the little diva saw the other two women beginning to grin as well as they regained their confidence…well if that was how it was going to be then! Turning on her heel, the diva marched right up to Tori who was finished with her makeup and had turned to face Rachel. Inches away, the little brunette stopped, after a measured look into the smug blue eyes across from her she reached out and slapped her…hard. There was a moments stunned silence before Tori fearfully bolted for the door, joined a split second later by her cohorts. The threesome almost ran Santana down as she was on her way back to collect Rachel and take her up to the box again, one replica jersey in hand. Swearing she looked over her shoulder at the retreating women, vaguely recognising them from one of the end of season parties…seconds later her eyes widened as realisation settled in and she slammed into the bathroom expecting to see Rachel in tears. Instead the diva was humming happily as she dried her hands, spying the Latina she grinned widely and catching sight of the jersey let out an excited yelp and snatched it up, quickly donning it over her own shirt.

"Come on then, let's get back before the second half starts, I can't wait!"

Santana briefly wondered (based on the confusing evidence) if it was her that was slightly drunk and not the diva, that was until she had to rapidly reach out and stop Rachel from walking into a wall. Okay so the brunette was definitely slightly drunk, Quinn would kill her if anything had been said to the diva and so clearing her throat the Latina asked quietly.

"Um…those girls didn't do anything or say anything to upset you did they?"

As they settled back into their seats, the brunette waved a hand dismissively and reached for another tequila sunrise as the tray went past. Santana quickly intercepted and replaced it with a bottle of water and a half grin.

"Try water for a while okay short round?"

Any answer Rachel may have made was cut off when the music started up and the players skated out for the second half, instantly the diva's attention was fully focused on the ice and the game. The second half was even more action packed than the first and Quinn ended up in the sin bin again after a heated exchange with number 8 that devolved into shoving. At the same time, they ended up back on the ice and from that point on the two wouldn't let up on each other, Rachel who was usually the voice of reason was hollering at the top of her little voice as she leant as far over the railing as she could. She would have fallen a couple of times if not for Dave having a very tight grip on her belt loops, Rachel didn't even notice, her eyes fixed only on the game. Full time was fast approaching and the score had crept up to 19 to 21 to the Timber Wolves, Quinn hadn't scored again but had assisted in almost every goal that slid in.

The Raptors managed to score again twice when they triple checked the blonde, managing to cover a foul that the ref didn't see. Scowling, Quinn picked herself up from the ice and narrowed her eyes, this may be a friendly charity match but fouling was no way to win, however, now she knew what to expect…grinning widely she waited for the puck to hit the ice and skated up to one of the defence players up by their end of the rink, after a whispered conversation, the guy nodded with a wide grin around his mouth guard. Skating back up to the main huddle where the fight for the puck was getting frantic, she ducked in and snagging it fired it to one of her wing forwards. He immediately ducked out and started a storm up to the Raptors goal area, their defensemen were waiting however and with a curse he turned abruptly, firing back down the rink where Quinn caught it. Immediately the Raptors two wing forwards and number 8 the centre forward were on her, this time she knew the foul was coming and as they lunged forward she turned sideways. Using her right skate to flick the puck between the centre forwards legs, she lifted her other one and slid between the two wing forwards with not a millimetre to spare.

Catching the puck on the other side of them with her skate, she directed it to the edge of the goal line and with the few seconds of disorientation her fancy move had afforded her, she went for a slap shot. There was a moments held breath as the Raptors goal keeper lunged to save it…in the wrong direction! The goal siren went off, followed a millisecond later by the full time whistle, the rink roared their approval, or in the Raptors case, disapproval of the Timber Wolves last minute win. The two teams came together and it was back to being all smiles and slaps on the back as they congratulated each other on a good game, Quinn's grin was bright as she looked up and caught Rachel's eyes, she didn't even notice the groups of women who were trying to attract her attention. Picking up the puck from the game, she kissed it and then taking careful aim threw it gently towards the balcony, Dave still had hold of the diva's belt thank god so she was able to catch it safely, waving her prize happily, Rachel blew another kiss to her grinning blonde.

Catching it, Quinn skated back towards the changing room as several announcements started. Time was a blur for Rachel who felt a headache developing for some reason, as she waited for Quinn to be ready. The blonde was no sooner out of the changing room door than she was attacked by a laughing diva that leapt up into her arms. Trying not to look too surprised, Quinn smiled happily and bent down to accept a kiss, a slightly sloppier kiss than normal that faintly tasted of alcohol. Looking up she found Santana's gaze and narrowed her eyes, the Latina shrugged helplessly, though it was slightly ruined by the amused smirk that accompanied it. Shaking her head slightly, the blonde looked down into brown slightly unfocused eyes and smiled softly.

"Did you enjoy the game princess?"

Nodding loosely, the brunette sighed before gesturing to her jersey with a grin.

"I certainly did! I even brought a jersey with your number on it, I wasn't aware local teams sold replica shirts but I'm happy they did, though it should say Gretzky on the back really."

Leaning down, Quinn was about to kiss Rachel again when she heard a voice calling to her from the car park. Frowning, she squinted into the shaded area then swore under her breath as she recognised a group of girls that she had 'known' before, swallowing slightly she took a firm hold of Rachel's hand and squeezed it reassuringly as they headed over. For once she wished her family would interfere but they were busy talking to Shannon and the rest of the team, having decided to give Quinn and the diva time alone. Rachel wondered where they were going until she caught sight of the same three girls she had warned off last time. The hockey player wondered idly what on earth she had ever seen in any of them, and promptly decided that beer goggles had a lot to answer for, sighing she forced a small smile.

"Can I help you, we were sort of headed home now?"

Tori snorted and thrusting her chest out slightly gave her most alluring smile, all of which had no effect at all on Quinn…but stoked the slow burning anger in Rachel's chest.

"Oh now come on Quinnie, you never go home after a game, you're all about the after party, remember? Body shots, pole dancing, a little three on one action maybe?"

Shifting uncomfortably and feeling decidedly bad about herself, the blonde scratched her nose before murmuring.

"I don't know if you missed it but…I'm with Rachel now, I love her and the only place I'm going is home with her for a bath and an early night with a movie."

The three blondes looked at her in shock, it was one thing hearing it from the supposed girlfriend but another entirely to hear it from the hockey player herself, eventually Tori rolled her eyes and one of the others (Heather? Quinn thought vaguely) muttered.

"Yeah, like that will last, about as much passion there as there is between the Muslims and the Catholics!"

The other two giggled their agreement, before Quinn had the chance to set them straight, which she damn well intended to, Rachel decided to stake her claim once and for all! The angry words of defence the blonde had formulated to stand up for her princess were quickly halted as she felt two tiny fists curl powerfully into her Blackhawks jersey, she literally just had time to gasp in surprise before Rachel pushed her up against the wall and covered her mouth in a demanding and passionate kiss. In a distant part of her mind Quinn knew that this was about proving a point, she knew it was likely that if Rachel hadn't (somehow) gotten slightly drunk that this most certainly would not be happening…but it didn't stop her body from reacting strongly to the demanding kiss, her hands lowered until they cupped the diva's buttocks. With a low growl, she switched their positions so it was the brunette against the wall, tugging lightly she lifted Rachel and with no further urging the diva wrapped her legs around Quinn's waist, gasping as her centre made contact with the buckle of the hockey player's belt. They were unaware that after a moments goldfish impression, the three women had left, they were also unaware that their only audience now was their incredibly shocked family. In fact the only thing they _were _aware of was the kiss and what it was doing to their bodies, one of Rachel's hand's had moved to grip tightly at the short hairs that brushed the collar of Quinn's hockey jersey. In response to the jolt of arousal the blonde felt at the tugging of her hair, she thrust her tongue further into the diva's mouth, subtly pressing into and rubbing against the brunette's groin.

Rolling her eyes, Sofia disengaged herself from the arms of her wife and looked around at the gob-smacked Berry men, smirking Santana and Brittany then embarrassed Kurt and Dave before she _finally _found what she was looking for. Plucking the half empty bottle of water from Dave's hands, she headed towards the two hormone driven women. To play fair, she gave them a fair chance to stop on their own by clearing her throat pointedly, however when the only reaction was Rachel's hand reaching underneath her daughter's top, she flipped the top of the bottle and promptly emptied it over both their heads. The reaction was immediate as they yelped in surprise and separated so fast it almost caused an accident, trying not to smirk, Sofia helped Rachel to stay on her feet. Quinn looked around wild eyed for a moment then flushed a deep red, clearing her throat guiltily.

"Sorry…um…I think we were, making a point?"

Rachel nodded hastily as she straightened her jersey and scurried embarrassedly over to stand next to her girlfriend mumbling her agreement.

"Yes, that was it but I think…that we did that and now um, how about we all go home and find me some Tylenol, my head is starting to pound."

Quinn nodded eagerly and then shot a glare at her smirking siblings.

"Yeah and not mention this ever again…understand!"

Smirking as she turned off the video recording function on her phone, Santana winked.

"Absolutely!"

Her only answer was the sound of two hands impacting two foreheads as the skaters face palmed in stereo.


	19. Chapter 19

Three days after the charity hockey match, the two skaters were back on the ice and hard at work as they attempted to put together a routine that would rival, if not surpass, their first gold winning one. Rachel, ironically was all for keeping things at the same level, claiming that if it had been good enough last time then all they really needed was to maintain their style of performance. Secretly she was still slightly worried about Quinn and her erratic sleep patterns, although things had improved since the blonde had moved into the main house, they still weren't great. Quinn was sleeping more regularly but it remained a disturbed sleep, her dreams (or nightmares) were still powerful enough to wake her abruptly every hour or so with a scream stuck in her throat. With Rachel next to her readily soothing the brief moments of terror, she soon fell back into the arms of the sandman, but the little diva's overprotective and previously hidden possessive streak ensured she didn't want to push things. Consequently it had led to several heated conversations…well, arguments to be precise and Will was getting tired of having to step in between the two women in order to get them to calm down. He was just on the cusp of having to do it again as Quinn was attempting to defend a risky new move she wanted to try.

"Rachel for god's sake, it's not an unknown move, several skaters have incorporated it into their routines and I think _I _can, if we combine it with an awesome sit spin from yourself as I do it then we'll have their jaws dropping in amazement!"

The hockey player had her hands held out to the side, palms spread wide as she tried to reason with her intractable girlfriend. Rachel, for her part, had her arms tightly crossed, her body language clearly broadcasting the disapproval she had voiced mere seconds ago.

"And if you don't get it right and fall hard enough to break or seriously damage something, _then _what?"

Scowling, Quinn's hand's dropped and came to rest on her hips.

"I'm not _going _to get it wrong, I've been studying this move for like a month now, hell I've even practiced it, so I'm not lying when I say I CAN do this…if you don't believe me then ask Will!"

She thrust a finger pointedly towards their coach whose eyes widened in sudden panic, if there was one thing worse than being caught between Rachel in full on diva mode and Quinn in stubborn as a mule mode it was being caught out in a secret he knew he shouldn't have kept from the brunette firecracker. Chancing a look at his protégée, he swallowed as the expression in those chocolate orbs was both as hot as the fires of hell and colder than the rink itself. He didn't have to wait much longer for the outburst…

"You…ENCOURAGED this madness!"

Consciously not taking the step back that his instincts were screaming at him to do, the older man just cleared his throat and spoke calmly but clearly.

"Rachel…Quinn came to me with the idea a few weeks ago and asked me what I thought, I told her it was a difficult move and so far had only been performed by solo skaters. However she explained the move the way she wanted to perform it and…it seemed like a good idea…"

He trailed off weakly and tried to ignore the rolling of hazel eyes that he could just make out in the corner of his own. Rachel just snorted and glared angrily between the two of them.

"Then you're as deluded as _she _is! It's a risky and idiotic move that we have no need to attempt, we have more than enough skill to win without risking life and limb!"

Growling angrily, Quinn raked her hands roughly through her scruffy blonde locks in frustration.

"Newsflash princess, this is a skating _partnership _and that means we work together, you do remember what the word partner means right?"

Will flinched at the sharp scrape of a toe pick against the ice as Rachel turned to face the hockey player so abruptly he was surprised she didn't have whiplash.

"That's rich coming from you Fabray! You're the one going off and thinking up moves without even so much as talking to me about them."

Thrusting both hands outwards and towards the diva to emphasise what she was about to say, Quinn burst out.

"Because I knew you would be like this! I knew you'd get all hyper critical and shit…I know I'm just a 'dumb ass hockey player' but did it ever occur to you that despite my lack of a private education or any degrees in art appreciation that I _might _just know what I'm talking about?"

Over in the comfortable corner the little Chihuahua pup whom Quinn had named Mario (after the hockey legend, _not _the plumber!) also sensed something was wrong and letting out a small whimper, burrowed deeper into the blanket on the sofa. Will opened his mouth and attempted to walk forward and diffuse the situation before it reached critical mass, sadly he wasn't given a chance as the ever snappish Rachel beat him to it.

"I don't believe I have ever referred to you as dumb, thick-headed maybe, stubborn? without a doubt! But it appears I missed out selfish, idiotic and foolhardy!"

Hazel eyes flashed dangerously at that and suddenly 'old Quinn' was back and she was _pissed_!

"Selfish? You have the nerve to talk to _me _about being selfish when you're the one that keeps me on some kind of leash! You won't let me practice moves that could make us winners and I'm beginning to think that the _reason _you don't want me to is because you're jealous!"

Will was hastily moving forward towards the bickering skaters now, this was going to veer dangerously off of the topic of their performance and he could see it coming. Quinn was as waspish as Rachel when angered, both of them lashing out blindly in defence and right now anything that was said between them would be harsh and difficult to take back. Unfortunately, trying to get to the two of them without his skates on was proving difficult. Rachel's expression frosted over, her smile was thin and in no way reached her eyes.

"_Me_…jealous of _you_? And what exactly do I have to be jealous _of_, your wonderful track record? Your stellar career in hockey…or perhaps your family ties!"

She regretted the words as soon as they fell from her lips, but she was _angry _damnit! Quinn was being ridiculously cavalier about risking her health and couldn't see that Rachel was only trying to keep her safe. Opposite her, Quinn felt a sharp pain pierce her chest but outwardly she said nothing, did nothing while she collected herself…after all, it _was _everything she thought about herself so she could hardly blame Rachel for saying it out loud, that didn't mean that she was going to fucking take it lying down however! With a few swift moves, she was directly in front of the little diva, smirking viciously as she spit her words out.

"No…you're jealous because before me you won fuck all Berry! _I'm _the one that brought the talent to this partnership and you're scared shitless that the one thing you have that keeps you close to your fathers will turn out to be a lie. That they'll turn their backs on you when they work out you're nothing but a failure. As for _my _family ties…maybe you should think about that a bit more and ask yourself why the only person that ever deigned to give you the time of day was a criminal fuck up like me, pretty pathetic Berry when the only attention you can get is from a player!"

The words were cold, calculated and designed to hurt…unfortunately they knew exactly how to hurt each other and to hurt each other _bad_. Quinn's words had struck at the soft underbelly of Rachel's very private and personal fears and she felt tears gathering in the corners of her eyes, unwilling to cry in front of the hockey player, she lashed out. Oddly it was the sound of the slap that broke the tension, Rachel stared in open-mouthed shock at the livid handprint she had just left on Quinn's face, Will finally made it over to the two of them and intervened, pushing them apart. Smiling grimly, the blonde just turned and skated towards the edge of the rink wordlessly, Rachel was desperately trying to think of something to say but before she could recover and apologise, the hockey player was gone, only the echo of the sliding door to the main house slamming closed was left behind her. Staring between the door and her still stinging hand the diva swallowed convulsively, her brown eyes locking urgently with Will's disappointed ones.

"I…that was…I just don't want her _hurting _herself Will, what _happened_?"

Sighing slightly, the coach pulled the trembling diva into his arms, at least with Rachel he knew what to do, Quinn on the other hand…

"You were both just worked up at each other, there's a lot of…_tension _between you guys right now and it finally erupted…unfortunately it did it in the worst way possible. Just give her time to calm down Rach, neither of you meant any of what you just said but right now you both need to take some time out."

Finally falling into the hug Will was offering her, Rachel sobbed wretchedly and clung to his warm sweater as he rubbed soothing circles on her back…and hoped like hell these two could get past their first argument as a couple, and that one of the Berry men could intercept Quinn before she did something stupid! In the main house the blonde was fuming, she had surpassed angry a long time ago and was well on her way to blind rage by now. She _knew _she hadn't meant any of that! God, hurting Rachel was the last thing she would ever do but…she just couldn't stop herself! And now, well _now _she was left with that familiar feeling of self-loathing that always settled in after she lost her temper. They had both been on edge lately, ever since their blatantly passionate clinch after the hockey match things had changed slightly, it was like they had gotten too close to…_something _and needed some distance, despite _not _wanting it.

Since returning to the house after their Christmas celebrations, Quinn had used the guest room rather than sleep in with Rachel with the explanation that her disturbed sleep pattern shouldn't deprive Rachel of a good nights rest. She would still wake and go to the diva when she needed comforting, but they had stopped their casual touches and embraces. Their kisses had turned perfunctory, almost as if they were scared of them! as a result, neither knew how to cope with the distance between them that was growing daily or indeed where it had come from. So, Quinn had thrown herself into putting together a new routine, hoping to gain back some of the missing passion, Rachel had just gone into a very practical frame of mind about everything. Slumping down onto the edge of the bed, Quinn realised she felt lost, _really _lost and she had no idea who to talk to about it, her mom's were preparing to travel for the operation and she didn't want to bother them. Dave was with Kurt and it wasn't fair of her to stomp all over his fledgling romance just because hers had…gotten weird. Santana _was _better at feelings and relationships than she was, but not by much, and talking to either of Rachel's fathers felt wrong, they were the diva's parents after all, _not _hers.

Sighing heavily, she let her head sink into her hands and swallowed the baseball-sized lump in her throat that had been there since she left the ice. She had no idea how long she was sat there caught up in her own conflicted thoughts, which is why the abrupt knock on the door (though gentle) made her jump. Wiping the back of her hand across eyes she had had no idea were watering, Quinn sniffed and stood abruptly. Taking a moment to wrangle with her erratic emotions, she walked past her discarded skating gear and opened the door cautiously. She wasn't sure if she was relieved or disappointed when she realised it _wasn't _Rachel standing there. What she did know however, was that despite all her resolve and intention to remain stoic, it only took one glance into Hiram's compassionate brown gaze (that was so like his daughter's) for her to burst into tears. Seconds later he had her wrapped up in the fatherly embrace that she had been missing for most of her childhood, steering the sobbing hockey player gently back towards the edge of the bed; Hiram sat down with her and just let her cry it out. After minutes that seemed like hours, Quinn finally sat up and offered a weak and shy smile.

"How did you…I mean, shouldn't you be with Rachel?"

It came out hoarse and a lot more timid than she intended it to, but Hiram just smiled softly.

"Leroy is with Rachel, I'm with you…you _both _needed someone Quinn, not just Rachel."

Toying with the tear in the knee of her sweatpants, the blonde just frowned slightly as she looked at her feet, wondering what to say after upsetting his daughter so badly. As if he could hear her thoughts, Hiram smiled sadly, after a moments hesitation he ruffled her scruffy hair affectionately.

"What are we going to do with the two of you huh?"

Smiling fondly at the gesture she had only really ever let Dave get away with beforehand, Quinn shrugged a shoulder.

"I don't know…bang our heads together? Tell me _why _we suddenly can't relax around each other or act like a couple anymore?"

Expecting an amused shake of the head or a sad chuckle followed by the exclamation that he had no idea, she was surprised when instead the short man just grinned.

"I _can _actually help with that, in fact we both can, but the conversation might be a bit awkward, perhaps something best spoken about between you and Rachel alone."

Rolling her eyes, the hockey player threw her hands up irritably.

"If we knew what was going on then we would have spoken about it already, you know how much Rachel likes to talk about everything…over and over."

Pursing his lips in thought for a long moment, Hiram finally decided an abbreviated version of things as he and his husband understood them, might be the easiest, _and _more comfortable solution for both of them!

"Okay, well…I'm assuming that it's the same for you as it is for Rachel and that things have changed since we came back from your parents?"

Pausing long enough for Quinn to nod her agreement, he carried on.

"Now, the last thing you two did…uh, hmm I'm not wording this correctly but these sorts of conversations never have come easy. The last really _physical _interaction between the two of you was Rachel's…show of dominance in the car park, yes?"

Quickly avoiding his eyes, Quinn swallowed and nodded, all too aware that she was flushing an embarrassingly bright shade of red. Moving swiftly along, Hiram continued his somewhat stilted explanation.

"Before she met you, Rachel was always very lethargic about any relationship she had, I mean, she didn't hate those guys but there wasn't the connection with them that there is with you. I know it might not look like it, especially right now, with things the way they are…but believe me…she _is _crazy about you."

He was pleased when he saw one of Quinn's rare but genuine smiles creep across her face, patting the blondes knee lightly he carried on.

"There was…caring with the other's, but there was no real _passion_…with you there's definitely passion, and a lot of it! But, the thing is, she doesn't know how to handle that much passion. Now I may be wrong with this, but I'm going to venture that _you _aren't exactly familiar with the sensation either?"

Squirming slightly uncomfortably at the question, Quinn reached up and rubbed the back of her neck. Recognising the familiar gesture as one of awkwardness, Hiram smiled softly quick to reassure her with his calm and steady voice.

"You don't have to tell me, but when I hear Santana talk about how you _used _to be and how you are now, with Rachel…it makes me think that maybe the emotional aspect of a relationship is as new to you as it is to her?"

Knowing he was giving her the option of talking about it without actually _having _to talk about it, the red-faced hockey player just nodded her agreement whilst continuing to examine her feet intently. Nodding more to himself than for Quinn's benefit, Hiram took a moment to think how to phrase his next sentence without either inadvertently angering or embarrassing the already beet red woman next to him.

"I _think _that your bodies are perhaps ready for something that you yourselves…are not."

Frowning at the extremely confusing statement, Quinn forgot her mortification and looking up raised a puzzled eyebrow.

"Huh?"

Fighting the urge to emulate the face palm that he often saw both his daughter and Quinn perform, Hiram blew out a breath before trying again.

"It was a polite way of saying that you're horny around each other…intellectually both you and Rachel are happy and content with the stage you are at. However, our bodies don't always listen to our brain and judging from what we saw in the parking lot a few days ago, both your bodies are more than ready to…um, take the next step?"

Rubbing the back of her neck distractedly, Quinn restructured the sentence in her head.

"So…you're saying that _we _want to carry on the way we were, the hugs and kisses and um…other stuff, wow this is really embarrassing to talk about with you! Um…but yeah anyway, _we're _happy but our bodies are ready to do more, even when we're just doing the PG rated stuff?"

Smiling in relief, Hiram nodded.

"Exactly! So you've distanced yourselves unintentionally because when you _are _close to each other the way you used to be, the physical sensations become too much and you find yourselves going further than you intended…hence the awkward and uncomfortable feelings!

He grinned wider, with a mixture of pride that she had understood his logically worded explanation and relief that he didn't have to expound on it anymore. Nodding thoughtfully, Quinn couldn't help smirking slightly as she nudged the older man with her shoulder and murmured.

"Ya know…as much as the babbling reminds me that you are very much Rachel's father, you could have just said 'Quinn you guys are getting horny and you need to talk about it' instead of the whole long winded explanation bit."

Staring at her open mouthed, it took a moment for Hiram to work out he was being teased, when it finally dawned on him, he narrowed his eyes playfully.

"Just remember that when you two get married, it's the parents that get to make speeches, including ones like me who know where your geek tattoo is…and can, at the drop of a hat phone Santana and receive even more undoubtedly delicious tit-bits of information."

Paling slightly, Quinn thought for all of two seconds before she continued on as though he hadn't just spoken.

"Although, in retrospect your explanation was very well thought out and invaluable…so thank you for that."

There was a moments companionable silence before they both smirked at each other and unable to resist, he reached out and ruffled her hair again.

"Now, I think it's time for myself and Leroy to head out for a reason I can't quite think of at this moment…so you and Rachel can talk in private."

Remembering their last words to each other on the ice, the hockey player grimaced and looked back down at her feet again.

"I doubt she's going to want to talk to me any time soon Hiram…I was an asshole!"

Raising one eyebrow, the older man stood, offering a hand he helped Quinn to her feet and spoke firmly.

"You both have short fuses so you were most likely _both _assholes, and I have no doubt in my mind that Rachel is thinking exactly the same thing, that _you _won't want to talk to _her_…tell me something though, did you mean a single word of what you said?"

Looking both shocked and angered that he would even ask her that, the blonde's hazel eyes flashed as she all but growled her answer at him.

"Of _course _I didn't! I love her beyond reason…it was just dumb angry stuff that came out without thought and if I could take it all back I would!"

Rather than argue with her, Hiram just nodded and then gestured with his chin to the door to Rachel's room that Quinn hadn't even realised he was steering her towards as they spoke.

"Then get in there and tell _her _that…and then listen as she says the exact same thing to you! We always knew you two would have your moments, but in the end you're right for each other and we all know it, so go on and get in there!"

He nudged her gently one more time and she was reaching for the door handle when Leroy came out, he smiled widely when he spotted Hiram and sparing a small wink for the flustered hockey player, gestured her inside.

"_Ah_, wonderful! I was just coming to find you Hiram, it's almost time for our…um, shopping trip?"

The smaller man rolled his eyes as he took his husband's hand.

"I thought we agreed it was a dinner date, I mean you owe me like _five _of those now Lee!"

Scuffing his foot against the carpet in what Quinn secretly thought was an adorable fashion, Leroy shrugged a shoulder.

"Fine, dinner date it is…but _not _the sushi place, I hate the way that place smells…"

They were still bickering good-naturedly as they moved off down the hallway, sparing a small smile for the retreating men, Quinn turned back towards Rachel. Seeing that the little diva looked just as wretched as she herself felt, the hockey player moved immediately towards her. Rachel hurriedly met her halfway with an almost bruising force as they wrapped their arms around each other, holding on as though their lives depended on it. For the longest moment they just stood there and communicated with sobs, soothing strokes and murmurs, eventually Quinn drew back to speak…at _exactly _the same time as Rachel did.

"I'm _so _sorry!"

"Quinn, I didn't mean _any _of that!"

The words crashed into each other and fell in a jumbled mess between the two women; Rachel was the first one to smile tentatively, followed a split second later by Quinn who barked a low laugh before murmuring in amusement.

"Jesus…we really are a couple of drama queens huh?"

Tugging lightly on Quinn's hand, which was still held fast in her own, Rachel led the way to her window seat. Once they were sat next to each other, hands still linked together tightly, she sighed and looked at her feet.

"I…was really out of line earlier, I didn't mean any of that, it's just that things have been, well, sort of odd between us lately and I just started worrying that…"

Quinn lifted her free hand swiftly, placing her finger tips gently on the diva's trembling lips, hoping to stall or halt any more tears that might fall.

"Hey, it's okay…I was wrong too, we _both _were, because according to your dad, we don't know how to talk about stuff and we both have really bad tempers."

Half smiling, Rachel's cheeks flushed slightly in acknowledgement of the rather astute observation.

"Yes, well, daddy always was rather observant. But however bad at talking and inexperienced at emotions we are, I shouldn't have said what I did."

Nodding in agreement, Quinn eagerly added.

"And neither should I…so, now we have established that we are both inarticulate morons and we're also extremely sorry about it, how about we finally get around to talking about the…um, _stuff _that we apparently haven't been talking about?"

Rachel's red flush deepened to match the hockey player's own as the subject in question suddenly loomed largely in front of them, Quinn rubbed the back of her neck while the diva chewed on her thumbnail silently. Acknowledging that they needed to talk about it was one thing but when it came to _actually _speaking…well, it was suddenly _not _so easy. After a few moments of awkward silence, Rachel decided to bite the bullet and just get it out there.

"So…we're horny then?"

It was at that point that Quinn discovered the interesting phenomenon known as choking on thin air, and startled, Rachel turned to bang her lightly on the back until the hockey player nodded to show she was okay.

"Sorry…it's just that I never thought I would hear _that _word come out of your mouth Princess!"

She smiled crookedly to show she was joking, rolling her brown eyes, the little diva shoved playfully at Quinn's shoulder.

"Well _one _of us had to say something, and I don't know about you but while fights like the one we just had could be viewed as nostalgic when viewed from a certain angle, they're actually just horrible. I don't want us to feel we can't talk to each other about stuff like this, I mean I know I'm inexperienced but I thought maybe you would tell me if you were feeling…libidinous?"

Smothering a snort of amusement at the diva's choice of words, Quinn just sighed and rubbed the back of her neck as she quietly confessed.

"I…didn't realise that that was what it _was_…"

Rachel's eyes widened dramatically at the murmured confession.

"But…I mean, no offence but you sort of haven't been backwards about coming forwards when it comes to confessions about your past activities. Why wouldn't you recognise that feeling if you've felt it before?"

Fidgeting in her seat, the hockey player swallowed and wished like hell Hiram were still here to help her find the words she needed to try and explain this. Glancing across at Rachel, she suddenly felt something calm within herself and knew that she really had nothing to worry about so long as she was honest.

"Okay, here's the thing princess…yeah I have been with a lot of women and I've had a lot of sex, but the thing is…none of those women made me feel, um, 'libidinous' as you so eloquently put it."

This time she couldn't help the smirk and took the light elbow in her ribs with good grace, impulsively she bent her head slightly to press a kiss to Rachel's temple before carrying on.

"I did what I did because I could…it made _them _feel good and it made me popular. It wasn't that I ever wanted the popularity per se but it meant I could make sure no one gave Dave a hard time, he was always kinda…creative as opposed to sporty and that attracted the bullies. I figured if I had the skills and they could be used I may as well just use them, then after high school I found I had this reputation and it just…seemed easier to roll with it, you know?"

Frowning slightly, Rachel played idly with Quinn's fingers as she wondered whether or not to voice the question that was pushing persistently against her lips, a small smile and encouraging nod from the blonde finally made the decision for her.

"I…well it's just that for me, I suppose that the idea of having sex with someone, making love, has always been just that in my head. You don't have sex with someone unless you love them, but how did you find out about sex if you didn't love someone enough to want to be with them?"

The question had started out in a normal tone of voice but had lowered itself to an almost whisper by the end. She watched as Quinn's too expressive hazel eyes clouded slightly as the shadow of her past loomed over her once again. Instead of retreating however, the hockey player closed her eyes for a long moment, then with a shaky smile exhaled a held breath and began to talk.

"I should have told you a long time ago about this, maybe when we first got involved or…God! at any time in the past few months, but, it's not easy to tell someone, especially someone who for some unfathomable reason loves you. I'll tell you now Rae, but please let me get to the end of it and then you can ask me any questions you might have…okay?"

Although she could feel a foreboding sense of fear at what was about to be revealed, the little diva nodded and moved so she was facing Quinn on the window seat, holding both of her hands lovingly. She lifted the hockey player's scarred knuckles to her lips and kissed each one softly as Quinn began to finally tell Rachel about Laura and what had happened to her under the older woman's 'care'. All through the harrowing tale Rachel kept hold of Quinn's hands, rubbing her own over them reassuringly, occasionally planting kisses on the palm's or finger tips. It gave the hockey player the courage to carry on talking, to reveal things she secretly feared might push the little diva away from her for good. When she finished however, instead of pulling away from her or expressing the disgust or pity that Quinn half expected, Rachel just pulled her into a gentle embrace and held her there, occasionally kissing the blonde's temple while she gathered her raging thoughts.

Quinn sank into the welcoming hold and realised she was shaking, whether it was from the adrenaline of the retelling or something else she wasn't sure, what she _was _sure of was that for the first time ever she felt truly safe…truly loved. The first sob took her by surprise and she almost raised her hand to bite on her knuckles and mute the sound, just as she had had to all those years ago when she'd silently cried herself to sleep in Laura's bed. This time though, she _wasn't _there, she _didn't _have to shove her feelings down deep where she wouldn't have to acknowledge them…so she cried, she _finally _cried, deep soul wrenching sobs that shook her entire body. And through it all Rachel kept a tight hold of her, wrestling with her own anger that someone had hurt _her _Quinn like that, no wonder Santana had been so sick when she had been told what had happened. She would have time for her own anger later, but for now she just wanted to be there for the woman she loved. Eventually Quinn exhausted herself, but strangely she felt lighter, cleaner almost, looking up she wiped her eyes on the shoulder of her hoody and grimaced when she saw the state of Rachel's sweater.

"I'm sorry Rae…I sort of got tears all over your cute moose sweater, and um…snot."

Her voice was still thick with emotion and tears even though the crying itself had stopped, smiling softly, Rachel just shrugged a shoulder and smoothed an errant strand of blonde hair.

"Don't worry about it…Quinn I, I wish I knew what to say to you about this but I don't, well I mean I _do _but it all seems so trite and weak in comparison to the anger I feel towards the bitch who did this to you."

Quinn couldn't help the way her eyebrows rose in shock when she heard Rachel curse, though the cute blush that crept up the brunette's face when she realised she had sworn was kinda worth it.

"It's okay Rae…I mean, obviously it's not, not really but it was getting hard for me not to tell you because I _do _love you and I'm having all those hallmark card feelings that you read about…the stuff that I used to think was bullshit. Only now I know it isn't and it seems like maybe I should have paid attention to all the things my mom's used to tell me about when you find 'the one' because then we wouldn't have just had that _stupid _argument."

Rachel nodded ever so slightly in silent agreement as she also wished she knew more, taking a deep breath, she pressed a soft kiss to Quinn's lips before releasing it.

"I understand, a lot more than I did before actually, and we _will _talk about it, but as much as I know you want to move on from what you just told me there's just one more thing I have to say…and that _you _have to believe, okay?"

Trying not to look too wary, Quinn nodded and, smiling at the hesitant jerky nod, Rachel spoke softly but intently.

"You never deserved that Quinn, _never_! And it doesn't make me hate you or look at you in any negative way at all, in fact if anything it makes me love you more, because you are stronger and more loving than anyone I know to have gone through that and remained who you are. So get used to the fact that I'm here because I love you and intend to spend the rest of my life with you Quinn Fabray, are we clear on that?"

Swallowing down even more tears because she was simply too tired to cry them, the hockey player nodded and offered a weak but genuine smile.

"I understand princess…_so_, about us being horny then?"

The light-hearted rejoinder combined with the slight quirk of her eyebrow caused Rachel to laugh. At the abrupt yet welcome sound, Quinn's grin widened and she took one last swipe of her sleeve over her eyes.

"Nice segue Gretzky! And way to put it subtly."

Shrugging good-naturedly, the hockey player settled back on the window seat.

"Blame your dad, it was him that came up with it…well to be accurate he rattled out this really long winded sentence that _hinted _at it, I figured to cut down on time I should just paraphrase!"

Gasping in mock outrage, Rachel hefted a cushion from behind her on the seat and lightly pelted the hockey player's leg.

"I _knew _my daddy wouldn't have used the word horny…dad _maybe_, but not daddy! So…we know what the issue is in a very basic way but how do we handle it."

Chewing on her lower lip furiously as she mulled over the conundrum, Quinn drummed her fingers on her knee.

"Well, in this situation we're both sort of absolute beginners, so…I _think _maybe we just acknowledge it but don't let it guide us? I know that's sort of vague but we know we love each other and I think it's more than clear that we find each other sexy. So when we're close, that's bound to have an effect, but it doesn't mean we have to act on it, does it?"

Although there was a certain conviction to her words, Quinn looked slightly unsure, sadly Rachel was just as unsure but after thinking about it for a while she nodded.

"I think you're right…I mean we can't carry on distancing ourselves because it's making us snappy and I'm going to go ahead and admit I miss cuddling up with you, I miss the kissing and the shoulder rubs and all the other stuff. But yes…it sometimes makes me think we should be doing more even though I want to wait, not because of some outdated notion of honour but because…well, because I love you and I want it to be special, even more so now."

Nodding in agreement, the hockey player rubbed at the back of her neck.

"I agree, about pretty much everything, I miss the closeness too…and as for waiting, yeah, I get why you want to. I never associated sex with love before, but with you I do, I mean that I want us to confirm our love before we…do the sex thing."

This time it was the little diva that smirked.

"The sex thing?"

Groaning in mortification, Quinn face palmed and spoke in a muffled tone from between her fingers.

"You know very well what I meant Berry…geez I'd think you'd be grateful I didn't just say fu…"

A hand promptly slapped itself over the blonde's mouth and brown eyes narrowed in a mock glare.

"I _am _glad you didn't say that, so don't ruin it now by doing so!"

Waiting for Quinn to nod before she removed her hand, at which point the hockey player smirked.

"I was just saying! But yeah…I agree to everything and I think maybe we just need to be more honest with each other when we feel stuff. You know what I mean? Stuff that makes us want to go further than we're ready for. Because the first time I make love to you, I want it to be as Quinn Berry on our wedding night, after standing up in front of our friends and family to tell them that you are the only one for me and always will be…and if you ever tell Santana I said that, there will be no more shoulder rubs, _ever_!"

Rachel, whose eyes were shining with an entirely different type of tears, mimed zipping her mouth closed.

"Your secret is safe with me Gretzky…so, are we good now?"

The last was asked quietly as the diva was still unsure if the fight was forgotten yet, to her relief Quinn nodded enthusiastically.

"Yeah, we're good, better in fact because now we know just to _talk _about stuff and not hide it…who knew parents could actually give good advice huh?"

Nodding in agreement, Rachel slumped into the hockey player's arms and they just sat there for a while taking comfort in each others presence while watching the wind play with the bare branches of the trees in the garden. Eventually, Quinn decided to voice what she had been thinking.

"So…about this back flip?"

Groaning faintly, Rachel looked up from under at amused hazel eyes and lightly thumped Quinn in the arm.

"Why are you so set on doing this particular move anyway, you know the sort of damage you could do to yourself if it goes wrong…right?"

Nodding reluctantly, Quinn moved until she was facing Rachel again and began to explain, her face lighting up as her enthusiasm leached into the words.

"Okay, I _know _it's dangerous but I also know that when I saw Robin Cousins do it I literally dropped my jaw, I mean it's…such an amazing move when it is done right that we could bring the whole audience to their feet…I mean I don't think it's ever been done in a pairs skate or at least _I _haven't seen it so we would have to work out exactly what you would do while I jumped but…think how cool it would look, I'm talking _guaranteed _entry to the Olympics team…our gateway to gold at Sochi in 2014!"

Despite her best intentions, Rachel couldn't help getting caught up in Quinn's enthusiasm and she found her mind already moving towards how to integrate the move and make it a pairs one.

"You know…you might, and I would like to stress my use of the word might here! But you _might _just have a point, I mean whenever a side by side move is nailed it gets a round of applause, so why not a side by side back flip?"

That Quinn had _not _expected to hear…she was willing to plead her own case for some kind of spectacular pairs move they would invent. But the idea of Rachel attempting the back flip and risking a fall and possible injury was something entirely different, however she had no idea how to communicate that without sounding like an ass.

"Well…I was thinking more like you performing a sit spin while I flipped over you, it looks more dramatic, don't you think?"

Pursing her lips and suspecting there was more to the hesitation than dramatic flare, Rachel rose one dark eyebrow and although it was never quite as impressive as Quinn's, it got the job done when the blonde rolled her eyes and confessed in a low grumble.

"Okay fine…it makes me nervous to think you might hurt yourself!"

Standing abruptly, Rachel pointed a triumphant finger and let out a loud "HA!" before sitting down hurriedly and covering her mouth in mild embarrassment.

"I'm sorry…I don't know quite what came over me just then, _but_, the point remains made!"

Grumbling slightly, Quinn couldn't stop the fond grin she felt growing at the diva's slightly smug expression.

"I get it, I do and I know it's risky but I still want to try it, and as much as I love the Robin Cousin's jump, I want to try and do the Michael Weiss one, I mean not only did he flip, he integrated a twist and wow…so far I've nailed the flip itself but I'm still trying to get the twist in. maybe though if we did a side by side one then that would give us the wow factor…or I could try the one footed land like Surya Bonaly?"

Rolling her eyes, Rachel half smiled as she remembered the jumps in question, Quinn smirked to herself as she saw the creative light begin to gleam in her skating partner's eyes. Sure she herself wasn't sold on the side by side back flip idea and if Rachel got hurt then it was off but…at least they had a direction now! They had two more small competitions and the international championships before nationals and Olympic selection but even so…this was a move that was going to take time to master, especially if they wanted to get it right, now all they had to do was choose the correct music.

Things returned to normal after that, they were as sickeningly close as they had been before, more so in fact and the Berry men finally relaxed. Will was perhaps the most grateful as he didn't have to deal with World War Three on ice anymore, their practice sessions became more intense for the next competition with any spare time being devoted to poring over technical skating manuals and practicing their signature move, or what they hoped would become their signature move. After a particularly gruelling twelve hour session where they had spent ten of those hours on the ice, Quinn was soaking gratefully in the hot tub when her phone beeped alerting her to an incoming text message.

_Princess: Hey Gretzky, my dad__'__s have gone out of town again so I ordered in take out and after some wheedling with Will have gotten us tomorrow off, so don't rush the hot tub! And yes I ordered your favourite, naturally XXX_

Smiling widely, the hockey player sank lower in the tub until she was submerged up to her nose, her muscles were almost weeping with relief as the warm bubbling water washed over her in soothing waves. Half an hour later and feeling a lot more limber, she pulled herself from the tub and after slipping into clean sweats made her way down to the den where Rachel and her tended to eat together if it was just the two of them. Mario was out for the count in one corner of the sofa after his mad run around outside with Quinn and Rachel, his little stuffed cheeseburger tucked between his front paws. Sure enough the little coffee table in front of the huge couch was spread with the takeout carton's, in the middle of the array of food was a single candle, the room's only illumination. Not that she would admit it to anyone on pain of death but Quinn felt a tiny flutter in her chest at the romantic gesture tucked amongst what would obviously be a night of relaxing in front of movies. It was just _so _Rachel that it made her melt a little…which is probably why she didn't see the little brunette at first when she appeared from around the corner with two steaming mugs.

"You look deep in thought Gretzky, anything I should be worried about?"

Whirling to face her girlfriend, Quinn grinned and shrugged a shoulder as she moved forwards to take one of the steaming mugs (camomile tea with honey, her comfort drink).

"Nope, just thinking how cute you are…so what film are you subjecting me to tonight and which of my many and varied takeaway favourites have you ordered me?"

Pressing gently on the hockey player's shoulders until she was nestled in the sofa, Rachel promptly set her mug down then with a certain flourish whipped the lids off the containers of food. Quinn fist pumped victoriously as she took in the sight of shrimp fried rice, sesame noodles, beef in oyster sauce and chicken spring rolls. Grinning back happily, Rachel snuggled in next to her, tucking her feet under her legs before grabbing up the TV remote.

"See, I told you it was your favourite…now as for the movies I thought maybe we could do something different, I'm going to pick one of my guilty pleasures while you don't look then you will do the same…think of it as a game as well as a way to get to know each other a little more?"

The hopeful look teamed with the nibbling of the brunette's lower lip was enough to destroy what little resistance Quinn might have been harbouring towards the idea. Rolling her eyes, she leaned across the diva to grab the remote, and steal a quick kiss.

"Fine…but no judgement okay?"

Smiling amazingly brightly, Rachel nodded an enthusiastic agreement and dutifully placed a cushion over her eyes while the blonde made her selection. Shaking her head fondly, Quinn flipped through until she found the movie she wanted and then nudging Rachel, handed her the remote. For a moment, the brunette looked hesitant and just had to reiterate.

"No judgement?"

Snorting, Quinn snagged one of her spring rolls before covering her eyes with the cushion that Rachel had just discarded.

"Just pick a movie princess."

Pausing to poke the ticklish spot on the hockey player's side, Rachel grinned and then turned to the movie selection, her grin turned into a smirk as she chose her film and then took the cushion from Quinn's hands.

"Okay Gretzky, you ready?"

Pretending to square herself up for a boxing match, the blonde thumped her chest and growled before picking up the carton of rice and sitting back with her chopsticks.

"Hit play Berry and let's get this ball rolling…well, movie rolling but you get the gist."

Pressing the button to get the films going, Rachel grabbed her own tofu stir fry carton and sat back and into Quinn's arms, Mario settled into the very small space that was left between them. They were suitably surprised and delighted by each other's choices, the hockey player's guilty pleasure turned out to be Bed Knobs and Broomsticks which made Rachel actually squeal with delight! The brunette's own choice caused a similar reaction in Quinn, though _her _outburst was laced with laughter, she was still giggling when the credit's finished and the film started, she did at least wait until the movie was finished to comment.

"So…Police Academy huh?"

Groaning, Rachel let her head drop until it was resting on Quinn's thigh next to Mario who promptly began licking the brunette's ear enthusiastically causing her to mewl in protest. The hockey player just laughed at the little display and moving Mario off to the side politely, kissed the ear her dog had been slobbering on.

"Hey, I think it's cute that you like slapstick humour and it doesn't make me feel quite so bad about my Leslie Nielson collection!"

One brown eye peeked out from the tousled dark locks, narrowing in amusement.

"Yeah, well it's actually _your _fault that I like those stupid movies as much as I do!"

Pausing to scratch her head in confusion, Quinn raised a questioning eyebrow, growling slightly, Rachel finally admitted.

"For some reason you remind me of Mahoney."

After a moment, the hockey player laughed and settling down to lie on the sofa, pulled the little diva closer to her before nuzzling her neck.

"You say the sweetest things princess, I'm not sure yet if _that's _one of them but…"

She ended the query in a giggle as Rachel once again made use of the blonde's ticklish spot. Settling down tiredly, arms and legs intertwined (and Mario sulking as he padded over to his bed, somehow knowing his two owners wanted some privacy) the two skaters flipped through channels until they found an old Women's Murder Club repeat. Quinn was almost asleep when she heard Rachel ask her.

"Would you come out on a date with me tomorrow?"

Opening sleepy hazel eyes, Quinn found herself smiling into Rachel's shy brown ones as she chewed lightly on her lower lip nervously.

"I'm pretty sure that as we're exclusively dating you don't have to ask me but…of course I will."

Shifting in her arms, the brunette smothered her own yawn and with a contented smile pulled the hockey player closer by her faded Philadelphia PD sweatshirt.

"Good because you got to ask me out on a date and although this could be considered a date, I actually have something planned for you."

Smiling tiredly, Quinn pulled Rachel closer to her and kissing the sleepy lips of her diva decided to just let herself be spoiled for once, it was a new sensation and one that before she had always mistrusted, but when it came to Rachel there was nothing she wouldn't agree to, including being the 'girl' in their relationship for once. Not that she would ever say that out loud, because the wordy and no doubt very long lecture she would receive from the brunette on gender stereotyping just wouldn't be worth it! Instead she settled for a murmured.

"Can't wait princess."

_I know…I owe all of you an apology for the delay in updating, let's just say between drama at work, a brief hospital visit due to my klutz tendencies and some real life stuff that sucked…I'm very, very sorry! For those sticking with me and the story I promise a longer and much more light hearted chapter next time! And the other two stories will also be updated early next week as I have the first two days off…they will also be nice and long. Once again I'm really sorry for the delay and I hope you all aren't too pissed? As always, reviews are nice but not necessary so long as you enjoy the story, thanks again for your patience xxx_


	20. Chapter 20

_Just a quick note on this chapter in regards to some recent reviews from two of my awesome reader/reviewers. Firstly, a thanks to baconbreadstix who pointed out the flawed logic in Rachel's beliefs regarding waiting to sleep with Quinn until after marriage. I'm not saying that Rachel will surrender those beliefs wholly of course but her reason as to __**why **__she was waiting was not fully thought out or explained. Hopefully a conversation between her and Santana and Quinn and Santana in this chapter will better explain things. Thanks also to DrWhoFan71, rest assured the story is still very much going the way it was always intended to go, I just sometimes get so carried away with the main body of the story I forget the little things lol. However I appreciate each and every review as they help me both to pin point flaws in the story and give me an indication of how it is being received. I hope you all enjoy this chapter and for the record I may be slightly projecting one of my dream dates onto Quinn so don't judge me lol, enjoy and as always review if you get the time xxx_

Rubbing the back of her neck, Quinn looked at the mass of clothes spread over the bed in despair, this was the first time in history that she found herself thinking that she didn't have a single thing to wear! Grunting in irritation, she wished yet again that Rachel had given her just the _tiniest _hint about what tonight's date entailed. Because right now, she was clueless, would jeans be too casual? Were chino's going to be too smart…and just what the hell was she going to do if Rachel expected her to wear a dress, she didn't wear dresses, she never had…well, at least not in recent memory anyway. Sitting down with an inelegant thump on the window seat, she checked her watch once more, she had an hour, that was all, just one hour to not only find something suitable to wear but to get showered and make herself presentable. Taking a deep breath she forced herself to calm down, snagging her jar of peanut butter from the nightstand, she dipped her finger in and sucked it thoughtfully.

"Okay…she knows me and she knows I don't wear dresses, so _that's _not an issue. She also knows I live most of my life in training gear or jeans, with the odd exception."

Rising to her feet, she began to pace back and forth slowly as she continued talking it out with herself.

"She also said tonight would be something special but private so even if I _do _get it wrong I'm not gonna embarrass her. But…it is her first date, as in her taking me out, and so I'm guessing I should break out more than the usual jeans and T-shirt."

Setting the jar back down on the nightstand, the hockey player wiped her sticky hands on the legs of her sweatpants then went back to the mountain of clothes that represented pretty much everything she owned. Rummaging through, she dug out a pair of chino's so new that they still had the tag on, smiling happily, she set them aside and delved back in, eventually retrieving the shirt she wanted. Dave had persuaded her to buy it because he saw her eyeing it in the store, she'd been reluctant as it wasn't her usual style, it was cut to accentuate her curves rather than hide them and decorated with small blue and red flowers all over. She hadn't worn it before in case anyone took the piss, but with Rachel things were different, smiling softly, she lay the shirt to one side. Taking one last look at the mountain of clothes she rubbed the back of her neck, then, as if worried she'd get caught, glanced shiftily over her shoulder. Grinning, she swept the clothes off the bed and then used her feet to push them underneath and out of sight.

"Problem solved! Perfect."

Whistling happily, she made her way into the shower and to get ready for the first date she'd ever let someone take her on. Downstairs, Rachel was also pacing back and forth at a furious pace. In front of her, Hiram and Leroy were watching her with expressions of mild amusement mixed with exasperation. The little skater was muttering frantically to herself under her breath and although they couldn't hear _exactly _what she was saying, they caught enough odd words to deduce she was starting to second guess herself over the choice of date she'd prepared. Unable to take the pacing any longer, Hiram cleared his throat, smiling calmingly as Rachel looked up with wide eyes.

"Okay…how about we stop the pacing and mumbling before you find yourself repeatedly washing your hands and hurling yourself out of a window."

Rolling her eyes, Rachel nonetheless stopped pacing; instead she chewed on her thumbnail.

"Very funny daddy, I hardly think worrying about a date is comparable to murdering someone! I just want this to be memorable is all; it's the first time she has ever been on a date so I'm under pressure to make it extra special!"

Leroy shook his head and rising from his chair, walked over to where his daughter was almost vibrating with nerves.

"Rae, calm down…she is probably more nervous about this than you are, and from everything you told me you _have _planned something particularly special, definitely something memorable and you know her…possibly better than anyone else."

Relaxing slightly the little diva nodded, offering a weak smile.

"I know…it's just I've never had to plan a date before, with Finn things were more often than not company events, and when they weren't, he organised them. I just want her to remember her first date as being something spectacular."

Hiram stood and joined his husband and daughter, wrapping his arms round them in an impromptu family hug.

"At the risk of sounding like a boastful father, I'm going to say that it _will _be something special simply because it's with you and you're a wonderful person!"

Leroy barked a sharp laugh of agreement and leaning down kissed the crown of Rachel's head.

"I'm pretty sure that is exactly how Quinn will see it as well honey…and I have to say I wish a certain person had put as much thought into _my _first date with _them_."

Gasping theatrically, Hiram pulled back enough to level a glare at his husband.

"At least my date involved food and entertainment, you took me to a ball game!"

Folding his arms, Leroy half smirked, enjoying the little improvisation they were putting on to help Rachel over her nerves.

"Hey, that was a good game!"

In mild exasperation, Hiram put his hands on his hips and flicking his hair just the way Rachel did, grumbled.

"Yes, but you were _playing _in it and I spent most of the evening frozen cold in the bleachers watching you show off."

Smirking, Leroy shrugged his broad shoulders.

"You didn't object to the drive-in movie afterwards if I recall correctly…in fact wasn't it you who…"

He was abruptly cut off when Hiram's cheeks flamed a bright red and he clapped his hands over the taller man's mouth.

"Hush you! Some things Rachel most certainly does not need to hear!"

They glanced at the diva who was smiling and shaking her head slightly, she pulled them close for one last hug then stepped back to smooth the wrinkles out of her jumper.

"You're quite right daddy, some things I most _definitely _don't need to hear…but, thanks you guys, I guess I was panicking just slightly wasn't I?"

Glancing at each other, Hiram nodded and Leroy held up his thumb and forefinger holding them an inch apart before commenting.

"Just a tiny bit yeah."

Rolling her eyes, she checked her watch and then took a deep breath to calm her jitters before taking one last inventory of herself in the hall mirror. Hair was smoothed down and looking good, light touches of make-up were still in place, dark red jumper free of wrinkles, shirt underneath ironed and the collar straight. Finally, her black skirt was neat and hanging just the right way, finished off with neatly polished knee-length boots. Nodding happily to herself, she picked up the small parcel from the phone table next to the mirror and headed up to 'collect' Quinn for their date. Discovering that excitement was taking the place of nerves, Rachel had to force herself to stop hopping from one foot to another as she knocked on the door to the spare room Quinn kept her stuff in. There was a moments pause and then she swore she could hear the hockey player taking a deep breath before she opened the door.

When the door did finally swing open however, Rachel had to remind herself how to breathe! The usually scruffy hockey player was dressed in neatly pressed chino's and a gorgeous flowered shirt, which alternately hugged her and fell loose in all the right places. There was a white vest top underneath that was tucked in and neatly belted, even the belt buckle was plain and not geeky, but what made the ensemble just perfect was that despite all this she _still _had on her beloved chucks, light blue this time to match the flowers on the shirt. Quinn had obviously been appraising the diva's appearance at the same time and had to admit, seeing those legs was doing something very pleasant to her insides, swallowing the sudden dryness in her throat she couldn't help smiling, seconds later their eyes met, realising they were both grinning shyly, they both went to speak at once.

"You look amazing Princess!"

"Gretzky you look gorgeous, where have you been hiding that shirt?"

Trailing off, Rachel gave a nervous giggle while Quinn ran a hand down her flushed face, grinning wryly, she shrugged a shoulder.

"So much for playing it cool huh? Shall we start again…ladies first?"

Grinning back, Rachel nodded and after clearing her throat repeated what she had just said before reaching out to toy with the collar of the shirt.

"I meant it, this looks great on you Quinn, why don't you wear it more often?"

Rubbing the back of her neck, the hockey player found herself shrugging a shoulder again as she half smiled.

"Well…it's not my usual style, can you imagine what Santana would say if she ever saw me in a flowered shirt?"

Leaning up to place a chaste kiss on the blonde's cheek, Rachel was the one to shrug a shoulder this time before commenting blithely.

"If she had eyes in her head she'd be saying 'Damn I could never pull off that look' because you Quinn Fabray happen to be sexy and entirely not wussy."

The last of Quinn's nerves dissolved in the face of that statement (and the way Rachel hit on the wussy thing without her having to say it) and throwing her head back, she gave a deep belly laugh. Offering her arm to the smirking diva, they started to make their way downstairs to where Rachel had one of her fathers' _special _cars waiting. Quinn's jaw dropped as the brunette opened the front door and gestured theatrically to the F40 parked there.

"No freaking _way _princess! Tell me you're gonna let me drive, you gotta let me drive!"

Chuckling, Rachel twirled the car keys round her index finger teasingly for a moment.

"I have to drive there because I'm the only one who knows where we're going, _but_…you can drive us home, sound good?"

Grinning, Quinn allowed Rachel to get the door for her and slid into the leather upholstery with an almost obscene groan, sliding into the driver's seat, the little diva couldn't help a grin of her own as she revved the engine and elicited yet another groan from the hockey player.

"Wow, are you sure you don't just want me to leave you and the car alone for this date Gretzky?"

Flushing in embarrassment, Quinn scratched her nose and mumbled.

"What can I say, I like cars that growl and this car growls beautifully! So…any chance I could get a hint now of where we're going?"

Rolling her eyes in fond exasperation, Rachel shifted gears smoothly and took the turn towards the mountain roads.

"All I will say is that we are headed _up_, it won't take long to get there, maybe half an hour, surely you can sit on your curiosity for thirty more minutes?"

Sighing in an exaggerated fashion, Quinn settled further into the leather seat.

"Not normally no, but for you I will make an exception."

Inclining her head graciously, the little diva assumed a suitably humble tone.

"I am so honoured by your acquiescence to my request."

Snorting slightly, the hockey player half turned in her seat and smirked.

"Yeah, yeah enough of that, let's talk about a few ideas I had for our next instrumental piece of music for the compulsories. Now, hear me out before you give me a definite no because this could work in both a costume and a musical way but…I was thinking…Star Wars!"

As predicted, Rachel was not overly enthralled with the idea at first; it did however give them more than enough to talk about as they made their way up the winding mountain roads towards their destination. By the time they got to the building in question, the talk had moved from Star Wars, through Indiana Jones and was currently residing somewhere between Superman and Star Trek. Giggling still, Rachel killed the engine and glanced sideways at Quinn shyly as the hockey player realised where they were.

"An observatory, you brought me to an observatory for a date? That is…_wow_, so do we like get the place to ourselves or something?!"

Elated by the childlike delight in Quinn's voice, Rachel nodded.

"Yes, the place is usually closed on Monday nights but my dad's gave a lot of money to build it so…let's just say I get certain privileges that most don't. I had them set up something for us, all we need to do is collect the key and agree to lock up behind ourselves…is that okay?"

Smiling widely, the hockey player all but leapt from the car, before Rachel could move her car door was opened for her and Quinn was offering her hand to help her out, eyes bright with anticipation.

"I'm going to take that as a yes, come on then Gretzky, let's go for a trek among the stars!"

Groaning faintly, Quinn turned to the diva.

"How long have you been waiting to use that line Princess?"

Wrinkling her nose cutely, the diva swung their joined hands gently back and forth as she rang the bell at the side of the entrance and finally confessed.

"Since Dave told me about your tattoo…sorry."

Shaking her head in amusement, Quinn let it slide and even offered a small but genuine smile to the middle-aged guy that came to the door. He and Rachel spoke for a brief time while Quinn eagerly made her way over to the information boards displaying details about the equipment they housed at the observatory. She was lost in a world of science and star systems when a gentle hand on her shoulder brought her back to earth with a start. Turning round she smiled sheepishly at the diva, Rachel just smiled back lovingly and offered her elbow.

"Sorry Princess, guess I let myself get carried away with the whole geek thing."

Nudging Quinn's shoulder lightly with her own, Rachel led the way into a room that was obviously used to simulate the moon's surface, at least on the floor. The hockey player's smile turned into a shit-eating grin when she saw a table had been set up in the centre of what was ostensibly a moon crater. It had been set for dinner and she turned to Rachel, wordlessly gesturing between the table and the diva for a long moment until eventually Rachel spoke.

"Use your words Quinn…because I can't understand the flailing arms, did I…do good?"

Quinn's smile softened at the honest uncertainty in the diva's voice, walking forward she pulled her into a loose embrace and kissed her softly.

"You did very good indeed Princess…so how about we sit down and eat huh?"

Smiling in relief, Rachel almost skipped to the table, her fingers laced with Quinn's, once there she pulled out the blonde's chair for her and with great ceremony lifted the silver lids from the covered plates. Even if she wanted to, there was no way that Quinn could have held in the genuinely amused laugh when Rachel revealed that their dinner was in fact cheeseburger and fries, one of the hockey player's favourites. Taking her seat, Rachel spread out her napkin the same way she would at a five star restaurant, watching as Quinn did the same, eyeing the food eagerly.

"And if you're good we have astronaut's ice cream for desert."

Winking as she picked up a fry, Quinn murmured.

"I'll be as good as you want me to be Princess!"

Masking her flush by sipping at the tall coke float they both had, Rachel cleared her throat before mock growling.

"Eat your dinner Gretzky."

Laughing softly to herself, the hockey player began to do just that, Rachel gave out a little gasp and when Quinn looked up questioningly it was to see the brunette face palming.

"I almost forgot…dinner entertainment! Again, I got someone to specially put it together so I hope…well, I hope you enjoy it."

Before Quinn could swallow her mouthful and reassure the diva, she had picked up a small black remote control and after a combination of pressed buttons, the lights lowered (with the exception of one low-lit one over their table) and the walls and ceiling of the domed room were filled with the pinprick light of thousands of constellations. Quinn's jaw dropped as the illusion of eating on the moon became that much stronger, even more so when a movie started up on one of the walls, a movie of the first moon landing, right from the moment of launch. Chewing nervously on her vegetarian burger, Rachel glanced across to see the hockey player discreetly wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. However before she could blurt out her apologies at obviously upsetting her, Quinn held up a hand and leaning in close enough to be heard over the movie, whispered.

"This is amazing…I mean it Princess, this is perhaps the best date ever in the entire world, and the thought that you arranged it for _me _is…I don't know what to say."

Smiling with a mix of relief and unadulterated joy at seeing Quinn so happy, Rachel picked up a fry and popped it into the blonde's mouth.

"You don't have to say anything, I enjoyed doing it and believe it or not Gretzky, I happen to think you're worth it…this and so much more."

Ducking her head shyly, Quinn kissed the retreating finger tips that had just fed her, then, with a wink she went back to watching the moon landing in fascination. Although Rachel had never been really interested in such things before, she found that watching them with someone who was proved to be extremely enjoyable. Long after the meal had been consumed and the floats drunk, the two of them continued to watch, Rachel had paused the film long enough for them to move from the table to a blanket and cushions that had been lain out ready on the simulated moon surface. Settling back down and into Rachel's arms, Quinn shyly allowed the brunette to feed her chips of the astronaut ice cream as they restarted the movie. Both of them lost track of time as Rachel asked questions that Quinn was only too happy to answer, it was good to release her inner geek once in a while. Eventually the film ended and stretching until she heard the satisfying pops, Quinn looked across to Rachel only to see the brunette already staring at her thoughtfully.

"Hey, got something on your mind there princess?"

Smiling slightly, Rachel wriggled herself closer to the hockey player until she could rest her head on a broad shoulder. Lightly inhaling the blonde's cologne, Rachel smiled, pressing a soft kiss to the underside of Quinn's jaw.

"I'm just…surprised that no one has ever seen how beautiful you are before, it's amazing that you haven't been snatched up already, although I'm glad of that because somehow I managed to snag you."

Smiling softly, Quinn nuzzled against the brunette, brushing her nose across her temple until she could press a light kiss there.

"Well…I figure it's because you're the only one that can actually handle me princess, well, that and the fact no one else wanted me, least not for anything more than my body anyways."

Giggling, the diva wriggled even closer until she was virtually on top of the hockey player.

"Well rest assured I want _all _of you, not just your body. I love your mind, your hidden geek side, your peanut butter addiction, the fact that you've been through so much but can still tap into that childlike fascination, I just love _you _Quinn Fabray."

The hockey player blushed bright red and tried to duck and hide in Rachel's shoulder, giggling, the brunette gently forced her to met her eyes. At the questioning look she found in brown orbs when she finally did so, Quinn found herself admitting.

"I just…never dreamt I would find someone who I not only felt this much for but that I was willing, hell, _eager _to show my hidden self to…although we _seriously _have to keep the geek thing to ourselves."

Biting her lip in amusement, Rachel suddenly remembered the small package in her purse and subtly rummaging around brought it out and up into the line if sight of perplexed hazel eyes and spoke airily.

"Well, if we have to keep it hidden then I probably _shouldn't _give you this, I mean it is fairly blatantly geeky."

Rubbing her jaw Quinn tried not to sound too intrigued as she ventured.

"Hmm, how geeky is it exactly…cos I mean some stuff is fairly subtle, you know you didn't have to get me anything right?"

At the softly added words to the end of the sentence Rachel shrugged before pressing the box into Quinn's hands and speaking just as gently.

"I know I didn't, I wanted to…you brought me Erik the cactus remember and he's one of my most treasured possession's. This is just something that I know you'll treasure as much as I do Erik, and will hopefully remind you, in a nice way, of the first date I took you on?"

Rolling her eyes and muttering that she would never need anything to remind her of this night, the hockey player nonetheless opened the small box, seconds later she grinned widely and raising an eyebrow looked up.

"I suppose you just saw it and couldn't resist huh princess?"

Allowing her grin to grow as wide as the blondes, Rachel just nodded and watched proudly as Quinn extracted the Starfleet communicator from the box and pinned it to her shirt.

"Exactly! And you have to admit it _does _sort of fit the theme of tonight's date?"

Pulling Rachel back into her arms Quinn kissed her sweetly then brushed the tip of her nose over the diva's gently.

"I love you Rachel Barbra Berry, and this is something I'll be wearing proudly, regardless of the exposure of my inner geek, because it came from you on the best night of my life…so far."

Swallowing her tears of joy at Quinn's softly spoken words, Rachel kissed her softly then murmured.

"So far huh?"

Shrugging the hockey player grinned crookedly.

"I plan to spend the rest of my life with you, I figure there are a lot more opportunities for us to top tonight."

Grinning stupidly at each other for a long moment, Rachel was the one to eventually break the silence with a gentle throat clearing.

"Well, as tonight isn't over yet, how about I set you loose on the telescope and you show me the more famous constellations huh?"

Grateful to have found one last chip of ice cream to make her swallowing look natural, Quinn nodded.

"If you think you can keep up with me Berry!"

Going along with the hockey player's need to lighten the mood, Rachel narrowed her eyes playfully as she leapt to her feet.

"It's so on Fabray!"

Giggling and stopping for the odd kissing or tickling session to gain the lead, the two skaters made their way to the main telescope where, as promised, Quinn answered every question Rachel had and then some. They were having such a good time they didn't even notice how late it had gotten until the sky they were viewing through the telescope began to lighten considerably. After Rachel reassured her that the mess would be taken care of for them, she handed over the keys and, grinning happily, Quinn decided to take the 'scenic' route home, as such they got back with only ten minutes to spare before practice started. It was a tough day for both of them but one neither regretted, even if there _were _perhaps a few more spills than there would normally be.

Coach Schue was not exactly happy with their performance either and threatened to separate them from each other if they didn't stop acting like fifteen year olds. This had the opposite effect of course as both of them were in that state of tiredness where even the smallest thing was ten times funnier than normal. After the sixth time the skaters called him dad and threw what they considered to be teenage tantrums, he threw his hands up in surrender and ended the session. They were still giggling as they made their way back into the Spencer Mansion (even Rachel called it that now), which is why they were convinced that they couldn't have heard what they thought they had heard. Frowning heavily, Quinn shook her head and then tilted it as the familiar voice started up again.

"Okay, call me crazy but…that sounds like Santana, either that or when I get really tired I start hallucinating about her which is too scary to contemplate!"

Moving forward decisively, the little diva pushed the door to the lounge open and, sure enough Santana was sat there larger than life and smirking widely. Smiling a greeting at the Latina, she turned and spoke over her shoulder.

"Well the good news is you aren't going nuts…"

Seconds later Quinn appeared beside Rachel and found herself grinning, although she would never admit it, she missed her family like mad. Thumping down on the sofa next to Santana, the hockey player slugged her shoulder companionably.

"Hey butthead what are you doing here? Did I forget something?"

Rolling her eyes and returning the slug with interest, Santana shrugged a shoulder.

"Nah this time you're off the hook…Lee just wanted my advice on the menu for a big dinner party his firm is having, figured I'd come up here to do it personally and make sure you're behaving yourself."

Spotting a sisterly talk coming, Rachel took her father's hand and pulled on it lightly before turning to Santana.

"It's good to see you again Tana, I'll let you guys catch up while I drag daddy away…no doubt he's already talked your ear off!"

Trying to act outraged despite the accuracy of the comment, Leroy let himself be dragged off with only a brief wave of farewell to Santana and Quinn. Turning to her sister, the hockey player smothered a yawn before speaking.

"So, how are the preparations going for the operation, don't they fly out next weekend?"

Nodding slightly, the Latina peered closely at her sister without trying to look like she was, it didn't work and hazel eyes locked on hers curiously.

"What _other _reason was there, I can tell from your Superman gaze that you're trying to look into my head again and that means you have something on your mind."

Sighing, Santana swiftly stood and headed towards the coffee pot; if they were going to have this conversation then she needed caffeine! She knew she had to talk to Quinn about this, especially after what she and Leroy had just discussed, the only problem was that trying to talk to her sister about this subject had always proved to be quite explosive. Carrying two cups of the bitter brew back over she handed one to Quinn and sat back down with the other for herself, after a long sip, she locked gazes with the fidgeting blonde.

"I _do _need to talk to you about something yes, you aren't going to like what I want to talk about but…someone needs to broach the subject."

Frowning worriedly now, the hockey player sat back and let loose a weary sigh.

"Whatever it is just get it off your chest San, you look like you're going to burst otherwise."

Nodding, more to herself than for Quinn's sake, Santana set her cup down.

"It's about you and Rachel, or to be more accurate, the physical relationship between the both of you."

Feeling her jaw clench angrily, the hockey player forced herself to calm down, as much as she wanted to tell Santana what she could do with her question, she instead decided to let her talk…for the moment anyhow.

"What about it, we're doing fine."

Rolling her eyes, the Latina grumbled.

"Yeah of course you are…is that why after the hockey match the two of you acted like scalded cats around each other? And don't tell me it's nothing because I know it spilled over into an argument when you got home."

Growling slightly, Quinn downed the last of her coffee, fighting the urge to storm out.

"We sorted out what was wrong, I don't see what you have to do with it anyway! So we had a problem, we figured out what it was and…well we managed to talk it out."

Rubbing her fingertips vigorously against her temples, the Latina tried again.

"Yeah I heard all about it, you're horny but you won't do anything about it because of Rachel's beliefs…that's all well and good but it isn't the truth is it, at least not as far as you're concerned."

This time Quinn did stand up angrily, so angry that her hands were shaking as she tried to think how to express her anger without lashing out physically, before she could do anything however, Santana was in front of her, holding her hands and speaking calmly.

"Just listen to me Q bear…please?"

Eventually the Latina's calm words and soothing stroking motion of her hands on Quinn's got through and sagging wearily, the hockey player nodded and sat back down.

"Okay but…just don't say it like that…like I'm lying to Rachel, because I would never do that."

Nodding in agreement, Santana sat next to her and kept a grip on one of her hands, although some of what she was going to say would be hard to hear she wanted, actually she _needed _Quinn to know she was doing it because she loved her.

"I know Q bear, I know and I'm sorry if it came across like that because I know how much you love her. I don't think you're lying to her, at least not consciously, but I do think there's more to your suddenly agreeing to a no sex rule than just wanting to abide by Berry's wishes."

Before the hockey player could comment, Santana held up her free hand in a 'stop' gesture and barrelled on.

"Before you start objecting, let me explain what I mean, and if you tell me that there's not even a tiny grain of truth in it then I'll drop the subject entirely…agreed?"

After a long pause where Quinn stared hard into her sister's eyes, she reluctantly nodded, squeezing the hand in hers with a brief smile, Santana forged ahead.

"Okay, well we both know about your past activities with women and so I'm not going to dwell on it too much, except to point out that no matter your motivation, Q you were incredibly sexually active. I'm not judging you for that kiddo, after what you told me that day in the hospital…I understand you a hell of a lot more. But, see…here's the thing I don't get about your reasoning. You say you're doing it because it's what Rachel wants but that hasn't stopped you from charming women into bed before. I don't mean that in a bad way either because as you repeatedly told me they enjoyed themselves and didn't regret it. So why is Rachel different, what about _this _situation causes you to back off?"

Shifting awkwardly in her seat, Quinn didn't like where this was headed, sometimes things that were unspoken just needed to remain unspoken. Santana watched carefully as her sister fidgeted but no explosion came, so, along with another reassuring hand squeeze, the Latina carried on.

"I know that the main difference is you actually love Rachel, she isn't another notch on your bedpost or feather in your cap or however else you want to put it. You two are made for each other and I suppose that's what I don't understand, in a way you're restricting your relationship by imposing this draconian rule on it. If you or her were highly religious or belonged to some whacked out cult then I guess I'd get it but…you aren't, she isn't and I don't."

Despite herself, Quinn offered a half smirk at the idea of her being religious.

"You got that right, I'm not in the least bit religious, it's just that…there's more to it than that for me, maybe I'm using her wishes as a crutch, I'll concede that much. But…they _are _her wishes and so long as that's what she wants then I'm going to go along with it, because I don't think I could face losing her San."

Musing on what Quinn _hadn't _said, rather than on what she had, Santana spoke carefully.

"So, this crutch you're using…what would that be attempting to hide?"

Sighing heavily, the hockey player sank lower into the sofa's cushions and scowled mildly.

"Come on San, do we have to do this? I mean…it's not going to change anything because no matter what I'm thinking or saying, deep inside Rachel still wants to wait."

Rolling her eyes, Santana leant across and drained the last dregs out of the coffee pot.

"Just humour me Q bear, maybe things aren't as clear cut as you think they are. It can help to talk it out with someone and as much as you and I generally live to irritate the crap out of each other, I do actually care about you. And I suppose I can reluctantly admit that Berry has sort of grown on me too…and I want the two of you to be happy. I suspect most of her previous reluctance to copulate before marriage was down to her inner lesbian screaming in horror at the prospect of sleeping with Finn."

Glad she'd just swallowed her mouthful of coffee, Quinn set her cup down, unable to stop herself giggling. Not that she had anything (much) against Finn, the guy had been gracious about the situation after all, but Santana really did have a way with words!

"Hey…he wasn't that bad ya know, but I get what you're trying to say, only problem with that, is, if it was the real reason…then why is she still using it?"

Raising a delicate eyebrow, Santana smiled.

"That's what I aim to find out…or at least try to anyway, but that's for later, right now we're talking about you Q bear. So stop dodging the question and tell me why you're dodging getting down and dirty with Berry, especially when your bodies are making it quite obvious what they want?"

Wincing at her sister's crass way of putting it (and maybe blushing slightly at the bit about their bodies being obvious), Quinn sighed and toyed idly with the hem of her hockey shirt.

"I just…this isn't easy for me you know? It's like you said earlier, I have a colourful past, I mean I'm pretty sure there isn't much I haven't done at least once but…when it comes to Rachel and the prospect of sex I'm…Jesus Tana, I'm _terrified_!"

Relieved at finally feeling safe enough to admit that out loud, Quinn sagged even further into the cushions and rubbed her hands down her face, part of her awaiting the laughter she was half convinced she'd hear. Instead she felt arms going round her shoulders and pulling her into a hug, to detract somewhat from the out of character affection, Santana ruffled her hair before speaking gruffly.

"Took you long enough to admit it…now tell me exactly what you're scared of? I mean…in Rachel's case I guess that I understand because I mean she's never done anything like that with anyone but, it's not like you're not going to know what you're doing."

Sighing internally, Quinn decided to allow Santana to carry on hugging her (definitely not because she was finding it reassuring though!), relaxing into her sister's embrace she struggled for a moment. Admitting she was scared was one thing, but revealing the reason behind that fear was something else altogether. Sensing it would help her relax, Santana started running a hand soothingly through the hockey player's hair the way she had seen her mom do on the rare occasion Quinn had allowed it. Eventually and very quietly the blonde began to talk, stiltedly at first, about what was really bothering her.

"I…have done a lot yeah and I know a lot and in that respect I'm not worried, I mean I know I can make her feel good and that, well that when I do it's going to be better because I actually mean it. But I never let anyone touch me San…and I've never felt the urge to, what if…what if I _can't _feel anything?"

Knowing she needed to tread carefully now, Santana continued to run her hand soothingly through the already tousled blonde locks and pursed her lips in thought.

"What do you mean by can't feel anything, exactly, I mean…although you always saw to your own needs, you always managed to, uh, get there right?"

Snorting softly at her sister's feigned embarrassment (everyone knew the _only _thing that embarrassed the Latina was open familial affection), Quinn slapped lightly at the Latina's free hand which was hanging off of her shoulder.

"Don't act coy Lopez, not for my sake anyway! We all know you could out swear a particularly drunk sailor on his first shore leave. And yes, I always managed to get myself off, but that's partly the problem. I never trusted anyone enough to let them touch me and I'm scared that when I _do _let Rachel…do stuff, that I'm going to be too…that the…I mean, I'm damaged goods San, what if I'm too damaged to _ever _trust anyone in bed, what if Laura really did spoil me for anyone else?"

The last sentence came out in hoarse staccato words as the hockey player fought off tears, normally she'd be able to 'man up' as it were, but after no sleep and a long days training, she couldn't hold it in anymore. As the first shudder shook the blonde's frame, Santana pulled her closer, swallowing her own tears as she comforted her.

"Hey…you listen to me Q bear, you are _not _damaged goods! You are one tough hombre, someone to be reckoned with. But more than that you're a normal, sensitive, and actually kinda shy woman who has fallen deeply in love. I'm not going to lie to you and tell you that everything will be fine because I don't wanna do that, but I think using this fear as a way to keep physical distance between you and Rachel is just wrong."

Hiccupping words between sobs, Quinn tried to protest.

"But…she…wants…to…what if…she runs…away…cos I…can't…be with…her properly!"

Moving her free hand to Quinn's back, the Latina began to rub soothing circles in a bid to ease the hiccups as well as offer comfort.

"That isn't going to happen Q bear, she loves you too much, as much as it makes me shudder to think about it, there is a marriage in your futures, and god knows how, but I even see a mini you and a mini Berry running around creating havoc. Look at it this way, you two have definitely not had any problems with passion have you? I mean that night after the hockey game proves that…are you telling me you didn't feel that?"

Flushing at the memory of it, Quinn accepted the tissue Santana passed her from the box on the table.

"Well, yeah…I mean I _definitely _felt that, kinda made my legs shaky."

Smirking, the Latina ruffled her sister's hair again.

"See, so your body _is_ reacting to her, and you've already stated on various occasions how much you trust her and love her. I'm not downplaying your fear by any means Q bear, because it's perfectly natural…but I think you will find that it's also groundless. You love each other, you find each other attractive and judging from that night, you also have perfectly healthy libidos, you both just unfortunately are also stubborn idiots who don't confide in people when you need to!"

Taking the sting out of the last words, she pulled the hockey player back into a hug.

"Look, I'm not saying jump into bed with each other at the nearest available opportunity but I _am _saying stop lying about why you're holding back. If you honestly want to wait then do so…but don't hog-tie yourself just because of fear! In a lot of ways, that's going to build more resentment, especially if deep down you actually see no reason _not _to show your love physically. You told her about…that woman, right?"

Santana found herself unable to even say the woman's name, and not wanting to swear during what, for the two sisters, was a very emotionally charged conversation, she stuck to that one simple descriptive word. Quinn stiffened for a moment at the mention of her but after a while she relaxed enough to nod.

"Yeah…she cried, I cried…it sucked but I told her, I couldn't keep something like that from her, not when I'm worried about how it's affected me."

Trailing off in a whisper, the hockey player went back to playing with the hem of her hockey shirt. In a move that surprised them both, Santana pressed a kiss to the crown of her head before speaking.

"Of course it affected you Q, you aren't a frigging robot, but you're finally moving past it in a way. You finally have a _reason _to, and that reason is a short ass with an over energized mouth and an annoyingly large vocabulary."

As she wanted it to, the drawled comment drew a snort of amusement from the blonde.

"She's not that much shorter than _you _Lopez."

Sniffing haughtily, the Latina chose to ignore that obvious slur on her wonderful stature.

"Can it Fabray…but, I mean I know I sort of pushed you on this but I'm doing it cos we're sisters ya know. We have to sorta stick together…and of course you _are _kinda dense sometimes."

Rolling her eyes at the comment, Quinn pulled away far enough to slug her sister's shoulder.

"Yeah, yeah whatever you say Lopez…but, ya know, thanks…it did help to sort of talk it out with someone, I just hope you're right is all because I don't want her upset her by me not being able to…well, you know."

Smiling softly, Santana nodded.

"Yeah I know, and like I said before, I think you'll be okay with it…but the important thing about love, and especially physical intimacy, is that _you _can't tell _it _when you're ready, it just happens. And as long as you're both feeling it, and of course you're careful, then there's no reason to fight it. Just think about it, and think about telling Rachel what you're scared of, you just said talking to me helped a little, think how much more it will help to talk to the person it _actually _concerns."

Standing up and stretching wearily, Quinn yawned then couldn't help asking.

"Where the hell did you learn all this stuff anyway?"

Shrugging a shoulder, the Latina stretched her own muscles before grinning.

"Don't you know by now? I'm Santana fucking Lopez and I just tell it like it is! Plus of course I'm your older sister and it's my job to impart wisdom."

Grunting something unintelligible, the hockey player awkwardly hugged her sister one more time before heading to the door, her mind lighter and on nothing more than a shower and some serious downtime.

"Yeah well, I'm guessing I'll be seeing you around with the way Leroy keeps picking your brains, take care Lopez."

Winking, the Latina dashed off the sloppy salute that the hockey player normally favoured, rolling tired hazel eyes, Quinn returned the gesture before disappearing off upstairs. Cracking her knuckles happily, the Latina put the coffee stuff on the tray and headed towards the kitchen, on the way there, she saw Leroy coming out of his study. Raising an eyebrow questioningly, he leant in and whispered as if they were in an episode of Spooks.

"How did it go?"

Unable to stop a very un-Lopez-like giggle at the grown man's childish antics, Santana nodded.

"I think I got through to her, I definitely made her think some stuff over and you were right, there _was _something else behind her willingness to wait till marriage. I figured as much but I wasn't going to push until you told me about that argument. Why is it that two of the smartest people we know are seemingly unable to see what's right in front of them?"

Throwing his hands up helplessly, the big man grinned.

"I know right? Well…Rachel's just finishing up some supper, you should catch her in the den attached to the kitchen if you're fast enough."

Tilting her head to one side, Santana pursed her lips.

"You see, _this _part of the plan I don't get, me talking to Quinn makes sense because she's my sister and I know, roughly, how to handle her when I need to. But Rachel is _your _responsibility so how come the honour falls to me huh?"

Shuffling awkwardly from foot to foot, Leroy rubbed his chin and thought fast.

"Well, the thing is, talks like this are just awkward when they come from a parent and she doesn't have any siblings of her own. Plus she trusts you and you're closer to her age which takes out the 'ick' factor of the conversation for her."

One eyebrow arched up in amusement.

"The 'ick' factor?"

Nodding enthusiastically, Leroy put his hands in his pockets.

"Exactly, no one wants to talk about sex related matters with their parents, it's icky, therefore if she talks to you it negates that icky feeling and she'll be more honest…plus I suppose you will actually push for an answer where I would back off."

Grinning widely, Santana breezed past him and towards the kitchen door as she spoke over her shoulder.

"All you had to say was that I'm tougher than you Lee!"

Protesting feebly to her retreating back, Leroy pushed his sleeves up, flexing his biceps even though the Latina had long since disappeared through the door.

"I didn't mean tougher per se…I mean, I'm pretty ripped for an older distinguished business man, these are still pretty impressive guns!"

Examining himself in a nearby mirror, he nodded in satisfaction at the fact that he was still quite ripped, then headed off to finish off the last of a mountain of paperwork he had been scaling all day. In the kitchen, Rachel was just finishing up putting her bowl in the dishwasher when she heard the door open, expecting it to be her daddy checking up on her again. Looking up, she blinked in surprise then smiled as Santana brought the coffee tray over and set it down on the side.

"Hello Santana, I thought you'd still be talking to Quinn, is everything okay with Lily, there haven't been any issues with flying her out have there?"

Touched by the genuine concern in the diva's voice, Santana smiled calmingly and shook her head.

"Everything is going according to plan, ma is freaking out because she hates flying but that actually helps, it gives mom something to concentrate on other than any worries she's got about the operation. Dave has been a legend as usual, making arrangements for transport both end's of the flight, making sure the hotel has them on the ground floor, Kurt's really sweet when you get to know him, and has the wickedest sense of humour. The two of them have been travelling to see each other a lot, I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't move out soon…not until the op is done and dusted obviously, but it's nice to see him happy."

Rachel also smiled happily, glad for both Kurt and Dave, closing the now full dishwasher she turned to the Latina and hesitated.

"So…um, is there something you need my help with? I assume that's why you're waiting for me to be done?"

Grinning widely, Santana flung a casual arm around Rachel's shoulders and steered her towards the overstuffed sofa in the den attached to the kitchen.

"Well, now that you mention it, there is something that's been on my mind since your last visit yeah."

Frowning in genuine concern at the thought that she might have said or done something to offend the hot-headed Latina, Rachel sat down gratefully, speaking hurriedly.

"Did I upset you or…any of the others? I didn't mean to if that's the case, and I'll obviously apologise to whoever it is…"

Holding her hands up, Santana waited for Rachel to wind down and couldn't help chuckling at the flushed diva.

"Geez short round, cool your jets okay? You didn't offend anyone, if you had you'd have known about it at the time. No I just need to talk to you about something that's bothering me."

Shifting uneasily, the brunette frowned as she tried to work out what could be so important it would bring Santana all the way out here.

"Is it about Quinn?"

Wagging a hand from side to side, the Latina settled down on the sofa next to Rachel and debated the level of honesty to go with at this point in time. Not because she wanted to lie so much as she wanted Quinn to be the one to talk about the things she had mentioned earlier, she settled for the good old half- truth.

"Sort of yes, but more accurately it's about you both…just from different angles."

Now thoroughly confused, Rachel toyed with the ends of her hair.

"Well that was about as clear as a bowl of oatmeal Santana, would you care to elaborate?"

Grinning at the cut glass diction the diva was using, Santana sat back in the cushions and resisted the urge to laugh. Berry sounded like a professor when she got irritated!

"Alright, just hold on a second because I'm going to say to you what I said to Quinn. I want you to let me say what I need to and I don't want you to lose your temper, now my hot- headed sister managed that so I'm assuming you can."

Nodding primly, Rachel sat a little straighter and gestured with a wave of her hand for the Latina to carry on.

Rolling her eyes at the ever so slightly imperious gesture, Santana wondered how exactly to start, with Quinn it was easy but with Rachel she wasn't one hundred percent what angle to approach from…left field was always a good place to start!

"So, are you religious or what?"

Blinking at the abrupt and unexpected question, the diva took a minute or two to clear her mind and answer.

"I…no, not really, I mean I was born into the Jewish faith but we aren't orthodox and I can't say I've been to temple in about a year…why do you ask?"

Crossing her legs, Santana regarded the smaller brunette with brutal honesty.

"Because I'm confused and I don't like being confused, it's not a natural state for a Lopez."

Her own confusion growing by the minute, Rachel replied carefully.

"Okayyyyy, um, well what are you confused about…exactly?"

Now she had the diva's curiosity well and truly hooked, it was time to reel her in.

"You're hot, I _guess_, Quinn's hot, you're both young and judging from your last visit to the old homestead, you've definitely got enough hormones flaring between you…so what the hell is up with this waiting for marriage thing? I'm confused, because you aren't doing it for religious reasons which was my first thought, and it isn't some arranged thing where there's no real passion involved, so what's the deal?"

Trying not to appear as flustered as the question was actually making her, the diva twisted strands of hair around the tip of her finger.

"I…just think that in this day and age…that, um, there's too much promiscuity and it will be more romantic on our wedding night than it would be if we just let our hormones get carried away."

Raising an eyebrow challengingly, the Latina drawled.

"And what exactly do you think you will be doing on your wedding night?"

Waving her hands about agitatedly, the little diva almost pouted at being called on that.

"Well…obviously hormones _will _be involved yes, but it will also be the evening of the day we pledge our lives to each other, it won't just be some, some, _booty call_!"

Internally, Santana sat up sharply at that little outburst; so _that _was the source of the little diva's fear was it…or did it go even deeper than that. Outwardly, the Latina merely tilted her head slightly, regarding the flustered Rachel patiently.

"Is that what this is about, are you worried that once Quinn has her way with you, that she'll disappear into the sunset?"

Crossing her arms irritably, Rachel looked torn as she chewed on her lower lip.

"I…yes, no…I don't know!"

All but throwing herself back into the cushions in frustration, Rachel was annoyed to realise that she was crying, wiping at her eyes hastily, she was surprised when the Latina pulled her in for a hug and sighed gently.

"It's okay to be scared about that you know, given her past I would be surprised if it hadn't crossed your mind at least once."

Scowling, Rachel thumped a clenched fist down onto her leg.

"But I shouldn't be! She has never given me a reason to think like that, she's been nothing but loving and devoted. And I know, logically I _know _that she wouldn't do that to me _or _to herself but my stupid emotions don't seem to have gotten the memo yet!"

Taking a gentle hold of the clenched fist, Santana spoke carefully.

"Don't beat yourself up for that short round, I hate to break it to you but what you're feeling is natural, everyone worries when they give their heart to someone else. I may be out of line saying this and if I am I know you'll correct me but…you didn't really love Finn did you, at least not in the same way."

Sighing slightly, the diva let herself sink into the support of Quinn's sister's arms.

"I suppose not, I mean…with him I never worried that he might be cheating or that he didn't love me for whatever reason. I loved him but in the same way you love Dave, rather than the way one is supposed to love the person they marry. That isn't the only reason I wanted to wait though, I can admit now that a part of me was wanting to wait because as much as I cared for Finn, I knew I didn't love him that way and I was delaying it. But…it doesn't change the fact that I believe the act of physical love needs to be engaged in only when you truly do love the person you're with."

Nodding in agreement, the Latina found herself looking upon Rachel as family already and , masking a smile, she asked quietly.

"I know and I one hundred percent agree with that, I may not have always done that but, well, that's a different story. I do however see what you mean but using that logic, aren't you madly in love with Quinn anyway?"

Rachel nodded eagerly.

"Okay, and I know for a fact that she feels the same way so you actually have that base covered, in relation to your beliefs I mean, and although I can understand that you're scared something will make Quinn take up her old ways…that isn't the real issue is it?"

Folding her arms, the little diva stubbornly insisted.

"It is definitely part of it Santana, I wouldn't make that up you know!"

Unseen by the diva, Santana rolled her eyes and re worded the last sentence.

"Okay, let me rephrase, what I _meant _to say was that although that fear is a natural part of embarking on a relationship when someone has a past as colourful as Quinn's, there's more to it than that, I'm right aren't I?"

Half smiling, Rachel grumbled.

"You can be very irritating when you think you're right about something Santana Lopez! However, as it happens, you may well be correct in this instance."

Deciding that now was not the time to gloat, the Latina just waited patiently, knowing Rachel was revving herself up to say what she needed to.

"I'm scared that I'll…that I might do something that reminds her of, of what that evil cunt did to her!"

For the first time in her life…ever, Santana was shocked, Rachel was not known for swearing in any way shape or form and for her of all people to just drop the c word like that was…gob smacking. Regaining her composure, Santana managed to find her voice again.

"Rachel, she loves you and she knows you would never treat her like that woman did!, Jesus Rach, no one with an ounce of fucking humanity would treat an animal like that, let alone a human being. Why on earth would you think that you of all people could hurt her like that?"

Sniffing miserably, the little brunette finally confided something that had been worrying her ever since she'd seen the edges of the scars on Quinn's back at the hospital.

"I just…she's been through so _much _Santana and every time she has needed someone or relied on them, they've abandoned her. I love her and if I ever made her feel that way, like any of those others did then I don't think I could forgive myself!"

Not quite sure what Rachel was getting at, Santana prodded gently.

"Look, I'm not quite sure what you're getting at short round. I know you love her and so does she. There's no way you would do anything, and how does that relate to sex exactly?"

Rolling her eyes, Rachel threw her hands up in frustration.

"Because if I touch her the wrong way, or if I'm too rough…hell, I might even _say _something stupid that ends up reminding her of…_that _woman, whom we shall refer to from now on as the bitch."

Nodding distractedly in agreement of the use of the term 'the bitch', Santana pushed past the worry she was feeling.

"Rachel…you can't control how someone else is going to react to your actions, but as far as I can see, you aren't planning to do anything that would remind her of the treatment she received from 'the bitch'. Quinn has a pretty good control over the way she reacts to her memories now, when she was a teenager she really didn't, therapy has helped her to come to terms with most of it and to learn to control things as and when they spring up. If she did feel anything like that she would tell you. Stop thinking that everything you might do will end up reminding her of the worst time of her life, she doesn't _want _to remember that shit. What she does want is to make better memories with you, ones that she can look back on happily."

Looking thoughtful, Rachel nodded as she continued to worry her lower lip gently between her teeth.

"I see what you're saying…and I know that to you it might seem stupid but, sex to me is something I don't want to treat casually. When it comes to Quinn, it's actually even more important, because I want her to feel loved, I want _her _to be the one that's treated like a goddamn princess for once! …and I don't know if I can do that, Christ, I don't even know _what _to do, let alone _how _to do it!"

Massaging her temples lightly, the Latina decided the easiest thing for her to do in order to sort out the zigzagging thoughts of the diva was to summarise them, for both their sakes!

"Okay…just let me get this straight in my head, you are worried about sexual intimacy with Quinn because you think you might not know what you're doing. Also you're scared she might flashback to what the bitch did to her, all of these reasons means you're holding off on anything too physical…is that about right?"

Mulling over the wording, the diva eventually nodded.

"Well, that all makes sense, apart from the part where letting your fears get the better of you results in stupid arguments."

Brown eyes widening, Rachel's head snapped up.

"How…I mean, I wasn't aware that you knew about that…yes, it was rather upsetting, we both lost our tempers and said things we regretted. But we talked about it afterwards, admitted that maybe we let ourselves get carried away at the hockey match."

Grunting in frustration, Santana face palmed.

"And _my _point is that you wouldn't have had that argument if the two of you weren't treating sex like a bomb with a hair trigger. _Yes_, take it seriously, _yes_, make sure it's something you both feel ready for, but putting a straight out ban on doing _anything _until after you're married is a restriction that's going to cause issues. Just…start relaxing about the subject okay? Speak to each other and if you feel like taking things a step further then go with it. I love you two idiots and I just want you to be happy, to do that you need to start just feeling things and going with them…you can't control everything short round, especially not emotions."

This time it was Rachel's turn to paraphrase, after a long moment, she summarised it in just a sentence.

"So, _basically_…stop being so uptight about the subject and go with the flow instead of worrying about the million possibilities?"

Throwing her hands up in jubilation, Santana grinned.

"Exactly! No rules or restrictions, you're two young women in love, so _be _two young women in love. Quinn has baggage yes, but so do you, and learning how to handle that baggage is part of being in love. So just…go with the flow."

Rachel looked thoughtful for a long time then smiled slowly, somehow things seemed a lot clearer now, or at least not so daunting.

"I take it you had this talk with Quinn as well?"

Shrugging a shoulder, the Latina stifled a yawn of her own.

"It's not _my _fault you two are both so stubborn that you need to have your heads banged together sometimes. It just so happens that I'm the best at doing the head bashing…joking aside though I do want you guys to be happy, and I'm not dictating how you should handle things, just pointing out things that might help you both."

Grinning now, Rachel poked at the Latina's bicep teasingly.

"Has anyone ever told you that you're actually a really sweet person under all that scowling and glaring?"

Assuming her 'stone cold' face, Santana deadpanned.

"Not and lived to tell the tale, no."

Raising a disbelieving eyebrow, Rachel couldn't help but prod just a little more.

"What, not even Brittany?! You can't sit there and tell me that wonderful sensitive Brittany hasn't called you sweet?"

Growling, the Latina bared her teeth.

"Brit is exempt from the rules that the rest of you have to follow when it comes to me…so don't push it Berry, unless you fancy a toilet based shampoo."

The little diva quickly mimed zipping her lips and shot up from the sofa.

"On that note…I think I'm going to go and get some much needed rest! But, thank you for the talk, as confusing as it was at first! I feel a bit more at ease where Quinn is concerned; that I won't hurt her. I still wish I knew a bit more about the whole…physical…aspect though."

Smiling happily, the Latina shrugged a shoulder.

"Don't worry about that, I've got a list of websites and books that will help you out with the technical side of it, I'll e mail them to you. But I meant it when I said that the most important part of being together physically is just to let yourself feel it, just don't tell anyone I said that…ever!"

Zipping her lips again, the diva gave one last wave to Santana and headed upstairs, after a quick shower, she changed into her sleeping clothes. After a moments hesitation, she slipped into the bed behind Quinn with a yawn, it took only a second for the sleepy blonde to thread her fingers through Rachel's and pull her closer.

"So…I take it Santana talked your ear off as well then?"

Chuckling tiredly at the amused but sleepy voice, Rachel nodded.

"Yep, though in a way I think it might have helped a little bit…what about you?"

Quinn nodded an affirmative before nuzzling backwards and closer to Rachel.

"I think so…we'll talk more tomorrow if you like? Right now I want hugs and sleepy warm time."

Kissing the nape of Quinn's neck, Rachel closed her eyes happily, unable to resist adding with a smirk.

"You got it…Q bear."

Her only response was a small growl.


	21. Chapter 21

Skating to the edge of the rink and the safety and respite the 'comfy corner' offered, Quinn Fabray was pretty sure she had never, _ever _in her life felt more exhausted than she did right at that moment. Collapsing bonelessly on the edge of the rink she blinked tired hazel eyes as she glanced down at the laces of her skates, suddenly the prospect of unlacing them seemed as daunting as climbing Everest, with a grunt she lay back on the carpeted floor. There was a second grunt and she opened one eye long enough to register the fact that an equally as exhausted Rachel had skated up next to her before mirroring the prone position half on and half off the rink. After a moments silence wherein both skaters managed to get their breath back, Quinn raised arms that felt like lead to rub the gritty feeling out of her eyes.

"So…he's trying to kill us then? All because we took _one _day off!"

Smiling slightly at the hockey players aggrieved tone, Rachel reached over and patted her midriff reassuringly.

"I don't think it was so much us taking the day off as it was forgetting to tell him and then ignoring his calls?"

Grimacing slightly, Quinn had the good grace to flush guiltily before murmuring.

"Well…we had a lot to talk about and I figured he'd work out we needed a day off, I mean he _is _an adult after all!"

Sighing, the little brunette skater nodded in agreement before patting Quinn's midriff again, partly in commiseration at their shared fate…and partly because she liked any excuse to touch the toned body that Quinn kept annoyingly fully covered. The morning after Santana's little pep talk to both of them, they had awoken with one thought in mind, finally talking to each other and confiding their real fears. In their eagerness to finally lead out what they hoped were the last of their white elephants however, they forgot to ring Will and make up some excuse as to why they weren't going to be attending that morning's session. That was the first thing they'd done to annoy him, the second was their cavalier attitude when he pointed out that they had already taken several unscheduled days off recently, the U.S figure skating championships were less than a week away and they hadn't even chosen their music!

It was at _that _point they realised that perhaps they should have been keeping Will more in the loop than they had been, Rachel guiltily handed over the song choices and the sketches Quinn had drawn up for costume ideas. After glaring at them he had barked out that he expected to see them on the ice at five the next morning to go through the compulsory routine until they could do it in their sleep. On the plus side they had definitely had time to talk to each other about most of what they had spoken to Santana about, as a result there was a much more natural air to their interactions again…which meant despite Coach Schu suddenly turning into the coach from hell, they were still grinning like idiots. Catching Rachel's hand in hers Quinn squeezed it lightly before lifting the knuckles to her lips for a kiss.

"I guess we should have told him that we already had the music worked out huh? And that we had half of our freestyle routine planned. Still, it was worth being worked to death to have that day together…don't you think?"

Hoping she didn't sound quite as uncertain as she felt when she said that, the hockey player relaxed when Rachel nodded vehemently in agreement.

"Oh yes, and I think he's only annoyed because he cant actually find fault with the routine as of yet!"

Answering Rachel's smirk with one of her own, Quinn chuckled and rolled her shoulders until they made the familiar popping sound. Sighing in relief the hockey player turned her head to face the diva again.

"On the plus side, the day is over! Now I don't know about you, but I'm pretty damn certain that the hot tub is calling my name."

Rachel grinned and nodded her agreement, she had already planned out how the evening would hopefully go, starting with a spell in the sauna (for her) while Quinn soaked in the hot tub, then they would swap over, head inside and eat whatever was ready before collapsing into bed to watch one of the slapstick comedies Quinn loved and she herself pretended to tolerate…when in actual fact she now loved them just as much as the blonde did. Ideally of course they would share both the sauna and the hot tub, but Quinn was still far from comfortable with revealing herself. Rachel understood why but wished she could have the chance to reassure the surprisingly shy hockey player of how gorgeous she was despite the scars that marred her body. However, she was happy with where they were, and indeed how far they had come together, so she merely mirrored Quinn's gesture of a moment ago and raised the rough knuckles of the hockey players hands to her lips, kissing them gently.

"That is _indeed _what I was thinking! When I can get my body to cooperate I plan to switch the sauna on and get the hot tub cranked up for you, after a soak and a relax I plan nothing more than food and bed."

Quinn was silent for so long that Rachel glanced over in concern in case she had fallen asleep already! The blonde was wide awake however and chewing her lower lip with a pensive expression, reaching across with her free hand, the little diva smoothed her thumb over the frown that was creased into Quinn's forehead.

"Hey, want to tell me what's got my Q bear all frowny faced?"

Rolling her eyes affectionately at the nickname that Rachel had recently taken to calling her (Thanks, of course, to Santana!) Quinn squeezed the diva's hand then let out a breath before murmuring.

"I was thinking, well, not really _thinking _I guess but more like wondering, although the question of which one is more accurate isn't really the point of this conversation so…well, I mean…would you maybe wanna do it…together this time?"

Rachel gasped gently in mild surprise, before she could say anything however the hockey player rushed on, apparently worried that Rachel might have gotten the wrong impression.

"Shit, no wait…that didn't come out the way I intended because listening to the way it came out of my mouth was sort of, um, well…suggestive and I didn't mean to be! I know we talked about not hobbling ourselves physically but I wasn't using that agreement to suggest we get physical…I was trying to…I mean what I wanted to say was…I don't…"

Quinn was getting more and more agitated as she spoke, however she tried to say it, it came out sounding presumptuous. Gritting her teeth angrily she was surprised when Rachel merely reached across and kissed her temple softly, when hazel eyes blinked questioningly at her, the little diva just smiled.

"It's okay Gretzky…it's _okay_, I would never assume you were trying to take advantage of me okay? I know you love me too much for that. And if you were saying what I think you were saying then the answer is an unequivocal yes, I would very much like to share the sauna and hot tub with you, and _yes, _I also know that you don't mean it as a come on. I appreciate what a big step this is for you even though we wont be doing anything of a…licentious nature."

She couldn't help it, she really couldn't…Quinn smirked and had to repeat the word.

"Licentious? We need a licence to do it these days…wow, I _have _been celibate a long time!"

Rachel narrowed her eyes playfully and poked a finger at the hard wall of abdominal muscle she could reach.

"Very funny wiseass, you know very well what I meant!"

Shrugging one shoulder, Quinn smirked crookedly before nodding.

"I know princess, force of habit I'm afraid, in situations I find awkward I crack a joke and make it seem _less _awkward. But…thank you, for knowing what I meant when my words decided to have a crazy street fight with each other and come out in the wrong order…and for knowing that this is kind of gonna be weird for me."

With what seemed a Herculean effort, Rachel hauled herself upright to unlace her skates (and Quinn's) then turned and gently nipped the end of the hockey players nose.

"I'll go get the sauna ready, you change out of your skates and come find me when you're ready…and remember, if you're too nervous you can change your mind, I wont hold it against you, I love you, remember?"

Before the blonde could reply, Rachel stole one more sneaky kiss from the lips that were pursed ready to speak and fled to the sauna and pool area. Smiling softly Quinn touched her fingertips to her still tingling lips and muttered dopily.

"She loves me…I love her and, and _she loves me_…and I can do this because of that, I _know _I can!"

With the self given pep talk complete she carefully sat up and was inordinately pleased she had left Mario in the house with Rachel's dads, (who doted on him almost as much as she did) as it meant she could join the little brunette as soon as she could get to her feet. Not that getting to her feet was an easy task after such an intense and long day of training, figure skating was definitely the hardest thing she had _ever _done and that included playing three games of softball back to back for charity! Taking just one more moment to prepare herself, Quinn sat up to slide off her skates gratefully. Sighing in relief she wriggled her toes gleefully and glanced around for her sneakers, slipping them on she headed towards the sauna, she'd be lying if she said a part of her wasn't scared but then again she figured that was to be expected. Nobody had seen her without at least a T-shirt and shorts on since…well, since Laura, she knew Rachel was different, and that this situation was different but…it didn't calm her skittering nerve all that much. Pausing outside the door to the small changing room she steeled herself and walked in with what she hoped was a reassuring grin, judging from the look on Rachel's face it wasn't all that successful! The diva rushed over in concern, laying a gentle hand on the hockey players forearm.

"Quinn are you alright? You look sort of…ill?"

The half grin/grimace was replaced with a genuine laugh and smile as Quinn reached up to scratch at her nose and confess.

"I was trying to mask my worry I guess, only instead of helping to calm me _and _you, it made you think I was about to hurl my guts up!"

At that Rachel also allowed herself to laugh lightly, leaning forward she rested her forehead on Quinn's shoulder sighing with a mix of relief and amusement.

"You are a dork sometimes Gretzky…and like I said you do NOT have to do this, but if you really want to then just remember…you wont be doing it alone, I'll be right alongside you doing the same, and no one has seen me less than mostly clothed either."

A blonde eyebrow rose in stunned disbelief.

"You mean…you and Flint never saw each other in the buff, or like even the top halves or anything?"

Trying not to smirk in amusement at Quinn's obvious use of an incorrect name, Rachel just shook her head.

"No, _Finn _and I didn't really get that far…I suppose I never felt as secure in that relationship as I do with you. I know one hundred percent that you and I are going to marry, but more than that I know we're going to be happy in that marriage…because we really do love each other."

Swallowing the lump in her throat Quinn couldn't resist the urge to lighten the atmosphere somewhat, both for her and Rachel! Smirking she brushed her lips over the shell of Rachel's ear and muttered.

"So does that mean there's a chance I'll get to see the girls then?"

At Rachel's confused expression, the hockey player glanced downwards at the diva's cleavage then waggled her eyebrows pointedly. Gasping in mock outrage Rachel shoved playfully at the blondes shoulder.

"Act like that and you'll be lucky to get a flash of ankle!"

Staggering dramatically to drape herself on the nearby cupboard that housed the towels, Quinn fanned at herself with both hands and drawled in a terrible southern accent.

"Mercy me! A flash of pure ankle? I do believe I'm getting the vapours"

Rolling her eyes the little diva swept her sweater off over her head and hurled it lightly to the still smirking hockey player. Casting it to the side the blonde found herself swallowing nervously again as she realised it was her turn to shed her hoody, glancing at Rachel she took confidence in the reassuring smile directed her way and did so. It wasn't a huge move as she'd worn a T-shirt in front of Rach before, in fact she'd been down to just a bra, but as she was half out of it and at the hospital at the time she didn't _really _think that counted. Rachel however had never been clothed in less and although Quinn was pretty sure that the brunette must be wrestling with her own nerves at the prospect of disrobing it didn't show. She watched carefully as the little diva stripped off her top and let her hands fall to her sides with an ease she was surprised she felt, swallowing, Quinn gripped the hem of her space invaders T-shirt and taking a deep breath mirrored the move.

For a long moment they both just stood there, a good four foot from each other, each wanting to move forward but neither wanting to be the first to do so, as it turned out they both found their nerve at the same time and moved towards each other simultaneously, once they were within touching distance, Quinn tentatively lifted a hand and lay it on the diva's bare shoulder. Smiling slightly she traced the smooth skin down until she had hold of her hand, looking up she nodded in answer to Rachel's silent question. Reaching out, and a little upwards (given their height difference) Rachel tentatively touched a fingertip to the faded line of a long scar running from just under Quinn's chin and down to her clavicle, a part of her wanted to ask but didn't know how or even if she should. The hockey player could see the indecision written all over the diva's face and found herself relaxing under the feather light touch, maybe…just maybe she wasn't as ugly, as damaged as she thought. Clearing her throat very softly Quinn found herself answering the query Rachel was unsure whether or not to voice.

"Accidental that one…back when my mom was still home, she and dad got into it, I think I was maybe four at the time. Anyway it culminated in a shouting match and crockery throwing, dad threw a mug that crashed into the mirror, some of the stray glass fell down and onto me…cos I was sort of hiding behind the chair under the mirror."

She trailed off uncertainly as Rachel leaned forwards and replaced her fingertip with her lips, kissing softly she trailed butterfly kisses down the faded white line until it ended. Quinn was finding it hard to remain upright as those feather light kisses were making her…making her _feel_. Rachel's quiet voice pulled her back from thoughts of whether or not she could in fact pass out just from kisses, when she spoke again.

"What about this one?"

She gently tapped a small inch long puckered ridge of angry red flesh that was just above the hockey players hip. Suddenly talking about how she had gotten the marks, remembering the tales behind them didn't seem quite as scary, clearing her throat Quinn spoke quietly.

"Laura…she, um, stabbed me with a curling iron when I tried to leave her room before she had finished with me."

As before Rachel moved so she was level with the scar and kissed it gently before moving back up, Quinn wasn't aware she had been crying until the diva frowned and wiped the pad of her thumb across her cheek gently, wiping away the tears. The hockey player smiled reassuringly.

"Happy tears princess, I promise you."

Reaching up on tiptoes, Rachel pressed a closed lip but firm kiss to Quinn's mouth then touched a finger to the somewhat longer scar under her ribcage. Slowly but surely she found each small imperfection on the blondes skin and after learning it's origin, would kiss it gently as if cleansing it. To Quinn, it _was _cleansing, each story gone, each tale confided and each scar kissed was lightening the heavy load she often felt had indelibly stained her soul. From the ones with a harsh story, such as the one under her ribcage which was from a fight she had stumbled into when she was first living on the streets, to the small one on top of her left breast shaped like a plus sign where Santana had accidentally stabbed a Philip's screwdriver in when she fell off a stepladder! Every scar was given the same attention, the same care, and Quinn began to feel better within her own body. When Rachel moved carefully around her however and saw her back she couldn't contain the gasp of horror at the damage she found there. Instinctively Quinn hunched her shoulders and made to move away, quickly stammering an apology.

"I'm sorry…this was a dumb idea, sometimes I can be so _stupid_, I knew It'd be okay if you didn't see my back because it's…just ugly and…"

She trailed off abruptly when instead of the revulsion and retreat of affection that she had expected…Rachel just wrapped her arms around the hockey player from behind and gently pulled her closer until the damaged flesh of her back was pressed against the warmth of the diva's front. She realised she was trembling when Rachel murmured soothingly that it was okay, that _she _was okay.

"You're fine Quinn, you aren't ugly, no part of you could ever be considered ugly to me, the man who did this to you was ugly, the bitch who did things to you that no child should ever have to feel, _she _was ugly…but not you, not ever!"

Feeling the words soothe the last of her panicked feelings of self loathing, Quinn's eyes closed and she just let herself feel. Feel Rachel's lips as she began to reverently kiss each one of the twisted white, pink and in some cases, red twisted ropes of scar tissue that littered every inch of her back. When she finished the diva stood back up and gently turned Quinn around to face her, kissing the drying trails of tears from her cheeks.

"You, Quinn Fabray, are beautiful, inside, outside and everywhere it counts…so don't ever tell me again that you're ugly okay? Because I _really _don't want to have to subject you to an extremely long lecture complete with slide show and educational videos as to why you are not."

That got a chuckle and wiping her eyes with the heel of her hands the hockey player rolled her eyes.

"Okay I get it…I mean, all joking aside I really _do _get it princess…thank you."

Inclining her head to negate the very slight height difference, Quinn kissed the woman who was finally waking up the parts of her that she thought had died a long time ago. It was intended to be a gentle kiss, a reassuring one, one that conveyed exactly what the little diva meant to her emotionally. That intention was blown out of the water however when Rachel kissed her back _just _as thoroughly, the temperature was definitely growing and not because of the sauna. Quinn's hands found themselves trailing across the soft skin that had been revealed to her eagerly, tracing the muscle definition gently, seeking out and delighting in the way the brunette would gasp or shudder slightly when they brushed past certain places. As her hands started their journey upwards and towards what she had previously affectionately referred to as 'the girls' Quinn found herself in an embarrassing predicament. The one thing that had never happened to her before in all her many and varied voluntary sexual explorations, was the shame of an early arrival, in her ignorance she had assumed it was something that only men experienced. However, as her fingertips brushed over Rachel's lace covered breast she felt the familiar pulling sensation in her stomach, the diva must have noticed her hesitance because she pulled breathlessly away from the kiss long enough to husk into one ear.

"It's okay…I _like _what we're doing Q bear, it's not too fast, it's just…right!"

Feeling her eyes rolling into the back of her head, Quinn couldn't help but growl as the diva gently took hold of her hand, guiding it up to cover the breast it had been resting on, fully, instinctively she gripped, massaging gently, feeling the nipple rub against her palm. Rachel had not been idle when it came to exploring her partners body either, she hadn't been lying when she said the scars didn't make Quinn ugly. The imperfections that marred the otherwise alabaster perfection could not hide the beautifully artistic lines of muscles, that in Rachel's opinion, belonged in a museum carved out of the finest Italian marble. Although she had no intention of this turning into a passionate grope session, it seemed to be the way it was headed, instead of freaking out however, the diva gave herself time to think…and realised that _yes, _she liked what they were doing, and _no_, it didn't have to lead to sex if she didn't want it to. Mind made up to savour the moment, she allowed her hands to slide down over slim hips until they cupped what she admitted (at least to herself) was one of her favourite assets of the hockey player.

Quinn was quietly proud of the fact that although she was lost in a haze of sensation and very close to the edge, she was managing to keep control of herself, _just_! The only explanation she could come up with in her own mind as to why she was quite so…sensitive, to Rachel's affections was that she was tired, and of course it _had _been a while, not forgetting that the little diva was gaining access to areas that no one else had, so…her brain faltered as she realised that Rachel's hands had moved down to cup her butt. Groaning deep in the back of her throat she wondered briefly if the sound would scare the diva off, far from it however as Rachel echoed the growl with one of her own and nipped ever so lightly at the corner of Quinn's mouth.

Feeling her legs start to tremble Quinn desperately grasped at the trailing string of control…and missed! Mortified, she buried her head in the diva's shoulder and prayed for her climax to pass quickly. Rachel felt the hockey player shuddering against her and wondered briefly if she had done something wrong just as she had feared she would, and that Quinn was crying. The tightening of the hands that had rapidly moved to her shoulders and clung on was another good indicator (at least to her) that something had upset Quinn. Frowning in concern she let her hands slide back up to rest on the jean clad hips, before she could step back to try and catch the hockey players eyes however Quinn tightened her grip and managed to blurt out.

"_NO_!…I mean, just, um, gimme a sec…_please_?"

Unsure what else to do, Rachel nodded and put her arms back round Quinn's waist holding her close, after a long moment she felt the hockey players stiff limbs relax. Before she could say anything Quinn looked up and then quickly away again as she chewed on her lower lip, the diva frowned in confusion for a moment, it didn't look to her like Quinn had been crying. Peering closer, it occurred to her that rather than looking upset the blonde just looked awkward, and maybe a little ashamed, in fact she looked kind of like Finn had that time they were making out and he…_oh_! Flushing as brightly as the hockey player was, Rachel's eyes widened in recognition of what had happened and found herself wrestling with two conflicting emotions, pride at her own achievement, and sympathy for the embarrassed blonde in her arms.

"Um…did you, ah…?"

Keeping her eyes averted, Quinn scratched at her nose and blew out a breath.

"I…yeah, I mean it wasn't _planned _or anything…I wasn't being pervy!"

Smiling softly Rachel reached out and lay a hand on Quinn's cheek, gently urging the hockey player to meet her eyes again. When unsure hazel eyes locked with her own she leaned forward and pressed a brief kiss to the pouting lips.

"Stop explaining yourself! There's no need to do that and I certainly don't find it pervy that we were enjoying ourselves, if I had objected at all then we wouldn't have been doing it…and as for you, um, experiencing le petit mort, well that's to be expected."

Frowning slightly Quinn raised a quizzical eyebrow.

"Okay, firstly you're right, I'm sorry I keep explaining myself, old habits die hard and all that. And secondly, what has a pot of mortar got to do with anything?"

Laughing softly Rachel shook her head.

"Not pot of mortar, le petit mort, it means the little death…as in orgasm, I was trying to be subtle."

Flushing red again the hockey player rubbed the back of her neck before reluctantly smirking.

"Yeah well, I knew that…I was just testing you."

Rolling her eyes Rachel yanked on Quinn's waistband and pulled her forward and back into a loose embrace before explaining.

"Well I'm glad I passed your test, and what I was _trying _to say to you, my dorky little science geek, was that before we started our make out session I had spent the better part of an hour gently kissing all over the top half of your body…you were already revved up before we even kissed sweetheart."

Recognising that as a very valid point, Quinn found herself standing a bit taller, grinning slightly she had to ask however…

"So…you don't think any less of me then for…um, arriving at the station way before you even boarded the train?"

Sniggering at the euphemism Rachel shook her head.

"Certainly not! In fact I'm sort of relieved because one of the things I was worrying about, well, was about you and I becoming physical, that I wouldn't know enough to be able to please you."

Raising both eyebrows pointedly before glancing down at her increasingly uncomfortable underwear, Quinn joked.

"Well, I think we can safely put _that _fear to bed huh?"

Chuckling along with the still slightly flushed hockey player Rachel shrugged a shoulder and ran her hands gently over the scars that littered Quinn's back.

"Well hopefully tonight we have _both _put one of our fears to bed then…although you have made it virtually impossible for me to be able to travel on a train now without thinking of sex!"

Blinking faux innocent eyes the blonde drawled.

"Geez! I was just trying to come up with a clean metaphor for blowing my load early."

Grimacing Rachel let her head fall heavily onto Quinn's shoulder before whining.

"It doesn't count if you then go and say the thing you were trying to be subtle about in a non subtle way Gretzky!"

Quinn just laughed and pressed a kiss to the crown of Rachel's head before murmuring.

"Well then, without resorting to being non subtle what do you say we finally get the heck into that sauna because I'm getting a bit uncomfortable here."

Shaking her head in disbelief at Quinn's attempt to be subtle Rachel headed towards the sauna door. Realising that the hockey player was far too busy enjoying the sight of her walking away to follow, she paused and glanced over her shoulder. Clearing her throat she tried _not _to enjoy the sight of Quinn looking up guiltily at being caught, smirking internally however she slipped her bra off and casting it to the side, casually commented.

"You joining me in here or not?"

So saying she disappeared inside to shed the rest of her clothes and wrap a towel round herself, Quinn realised she was still standing there slack jawed and reaching up slapped herself lightly. Blinking, she hastily shed her own bra and followed the diva into the sauna…_sometimes _Quinn could be accused of being a little slow on the uptake but _not _when it came to spending time half naked with the woman she loved! Although they didn't take things any further that night, or in the following ones, they were much more comfortable around each other physically as well as emotionally. Rachel now knew that when the time came she was more than capable of pleasing Quinn, that she could touch her and not cause a resurgence of unpleasant memories. And as for Quinn, well, she now knew that the one fear that had been crippling her almost since she had realised she loved Rachel, that she was ugly, forever defined by what had been done to her, was not true. The little diva, her princess, saw her for who she really was, she didn't judge her by what happened to her and that meant more to the hockey player than she was able to find words to express.

The couples new found easiness with each other was evident to everyone around them, from Rachel's fathers and Coach Schuester to Justin, Rachel's tame Starbucks delivery friend. They had already been close to each other, holding hands or cuddling as they watched TV, ate, or even just when they were waiting on the ice for Will to critique their performance. But now there was something _else_, another layer that everyone noticed and approved of, for instance, when sat together in the comfy corner between practice sessions they wouldn't hold hands so much, but instead show affection in a more proprietary way. Rachel had grown fond of twirling the hair at the nape of Quinn's neck through her finger's as they talked, or idly sliding her hand under the hem of the hockey players T-shirt to lightly scratch at her abdomen. In return Quinn found she loved sitting behind Rachel and holding her close so she could nuzzle into her every so often and brush her fingertips across the diva's belly button because it made her giggle. They were things the couple had done before, but _only, _in what they had viewed, as emotionally charged situations. Now they were as casual and freely given as a hug or a wave would be, Leroy was _so _thrilled with how things were progressing he sent not one, not two, but _three _bouquets of flowers to Santana in thanks for her assistance.

Soon enough the departure date for the championship approached and the pair found themselves swept up in the whirlwind of preparation and panic that seemed to happen before every competition. Not that _they _were panicking, it was Will who was frantic this time, convinced that they would forget something or go to the wrong venue. Quinn ended up slipping one of her old tranquilisers into the coaches coffee just so they could finish the packing in peace.

"Why on earth is he so worked up, he wasn't this bad last time and if anything _that _should have been the time to panic, or so I would have thought?"

Neatly packing away a spare set of sweats for each of them and accepting the toiletry bag that Quinn passed her, Rachel shrugged.

"Probably because the last competition was more of a show piece, you know like a…um, what would you call it in hockey? Oh! An exhibition game, that's the phrase, whereas _this _is the first real step on the road to Olympic selection…sort of like the season opener. You know how much emphasis they always place on the first game of the season, start strong and stake your rep, right…Quinn?"

The hockey player had gone pale, feeling behind her she just managed to locate the edge of the bed before she thumped down onto it with a sick feeling, swallowing, she closed her eyes.

"So…last time it was…all about showing off and getting attention then? A way of saying 'hey, we're here guys and here's what we can do' but it wasn't…I mean _this _is in fact going to be the first major competition we'll skate in?"

Thinking fast Rachel realised that Quinn hadn't been panicking simply because she hadn't seen it as their first major skate!

"Well, technically yes, this is the first one but…I mean, you have to establish yourself as a serious threat before the season starts and we did that, that was the hard part I promise you…besides, this time you'll know Kurt, and Puck will be there too."

Smiling weakly Quinn ran both hands roughly down her face.

"I know, it's not so much _that _which I'm worrying about princess, it's just that maybe we should have practiced more, done more research on what the other skaters are going to produce, maybe what we came up with isn't good enough, what if _my _ideas cant compete with whatever that asshole St James comes up with!?"

Rising from where she had just finished packing their bags, Rachel snorted slightly.

"All his ideas will feature him, him, and ways to make _himself _look good…oh and did I mention they would centre on him? Judges these days look for a true partnership between pairs skaters, we have that Gretzky and don't you forget it…besides which we have something the other skaters don't…and I don't just mean your mighty fine butt."

Rolling her eyes at Rachel's wink, Quinn chuckled in amusement and relaxing slightly, leaned back onto her elbows.

"Okay, I'll bite, what else do we have that the other teams don't, apart from my admittedly mighty fine butt?"

Moving so she was straddling the smirking hockey player, the little diva smiled fondly and kissed the tip of Quinn's nose before replying.

"Your amazingly geeky yet creative brain that comes up with music, costumes and routines that most of the other pairs would never even dream of!"

Wrinkling the tip of her nose that had just been freshly kissed, the hockey player grinned crookedly.

"I'm pretty sure that a lot of people in the past have done a Bond number, in fact I _know _they have as you told me so yourself."

Gently slapping Quinn's midriff in a mild rebuke, Rachel sighed.

"The Bond number aside, _which, _by the way, is very different to most of the others if I do say so myself, I was referring to the others, I for one am looking forward to our freestyle routine, and even more so to watching the playback and seeing that jackasses jaw drop when he realises we've blown him out of the water yet again."

Laughing at the prospect of Jesse being dumbfounded, almost as much as she was at the fact Rachel had sworn again, Quinn relaxed and rolled them over so they were on their sides and facing each other. Leaning in simultaneously they shared several long and intense kisses before a throat cleared itself from the doorway, bolting up simultaneously they were confronted by Hiram's amused and slightly embarrassed face. Holding up a hand to halt the explanation he knew was about to come spilling forth from one if not both of the women, he spoke quickly.

"You don't have to explain yourselves to me…but I thought you _might _like to know that your coach appears to have fallen asleep in his doorway and you're due to leave in the next hour?"

Blanching slightly, Quinn got to her feet.

"I'll go take care of Schuester, you want to make sure we have everything we need princess and then I think we're good to go? The guys will have the costumes with them right?"

Waiting for an affirmative nod from the little diva, Quinn smiled and took off to move Will to the Humvee ready for the ride to the airport. It was only a short flight to Colorado where the event was being held but they had decided to fly in so they had more time to observe their competition and make any last adjustments if they were indeed needed. Just under an hour later they were waved off by Hiram who wouldn't be able to make the competition this time due to business. Quinn drove, with Rachel providing commentary on some of the other skaters more spectacular foul up's while Will was snoring quite contentedly in the back seat. Luckily they were flying in one of the Berry's business jets so questions as to why their coach was comatose would be minimal! By the time they reached the private airstrip in Colorado, Will had woken up and apologised profusely for leaving the skaters to organise everything. Quinn smiled serenely and said it hadn't been a problem, whilst next to her Rachel was trying her hardest to stifle her giggles at the apologetic coach. The transfer to the venue was pleasantly uneventful and once they were checked into their rooms and the bags stowed, Rachel and Quinn decided to head to the rink and get in a practice session and see who else was there. Will demurred when they asked him if he was coming with them, citing unusual exhaustion and opting for an early night! As they left the hotel the little diva glanced sideways at the hockey player.

"What on earth was it that you put in his coffee, it wasn't illegal was it?"

Rolling her eyes, Quinn snagged Rachel's hand, squeezing it reassuringly as they made their way to the rink.

"No, just a tranquiliser…I had to take them before…well, before _you _came along actually princess. You know I've always had trouble sleeping, but before I would never talk about it and after a while I had to take something to help me sleep before I ended up crashing out from exhaustion."

Nudging her shoulder gently into the hockey players, Rachel spoke softly.

"And now you have me, so it's okay?"

Her own grin turning soft (and if she were honest, a little dopey) Quinn nudged Rachel back and nodded.

"Yeah, now I have you, and for some reason the night terrors seem reluctant to bother me when you're around princess."

Smiling happily, the little diva fought down the urge to skip the rest of the short walk to the rink, on the grounds it was just _too _gay, she instead contained herself to pressing a soft kiss to the hockey players knuckles.

"See, being ridiculously optimistic does it have it's upsides, now and again."

Smirking, Quinn commented airily.

"I think it's more the fact that you're insistence to drool on anything you sleep on and snore like a grumpy lumberjack with a cold repels them."

Gasping in faux outrage Rachel lightly shoved the giggling hockey player into the door of the rink they had just reached,

"See if _you _get to choose tonight's movie now! And remember it's my turn to choose dinner as well…and I have a sudden craving for carrot and coriander soup!"

It was the diva's turn to smile now as she saw the hockey player predictably grimace at the suggestion. Although Hiram and Leroy had managed to change Quinn's mind about most vegetables and successfully introduced them into the woman's diet, she flatly refused to eat carrots.

"Aw, c'mon Rach that's _so _not fair, it's not like I would ever choose steaks on my night or anything, and you know I hate carrots!"

Turning on her heel primly to address the hockey player who was rushing to catch her up, Rachel commented.

"Not eating meat is a conscious choice based on my lifestyle, you just don't like carrots and that's the difference."

Sighing dramatically, the blonde skater flashed her competition I.D at the official and walking into the rink with the diva, Quinn put forth her case.

"Did you _not _see the lol cats picture I showed you?! Even the cute little cat in that picture said they were poison, and a cute little cat wouldn't lie!"

Glancing over at Quinn in amused disbelief, Rachel shook her head.

"That's your entire case against carrots? The fact that a lol cat agrees with you that they're poison?"

Shrugging a shoulder Quinn tightened the laces on her skates.

"Hey, a cute cat would never lie…fact."

Finishing her own lacing process, the little diva stood upright and flicking her hair over her shoulder with a grin, smoothly replied.

"You do realise, that those same cute cats also claim to interact with invisible objects on a regular basis as well as being able to fix computers."

Holding her hand out to escort Rachel out onto the ice, Quinn conceded…partly.

"Okay, maybe some of them are prone to exaggeration but they cant all be wrong…the point is, carrots suck and you shouldn't make me eat them unless they are in cake form, which is the only acceptable form for a carrot."

Rachel opened her mouth to reply when a familiar voice inserted itself into the conversation in support of Quinn.

"Sorry baby Jew, but she's right on that one, carrots are the devils own creation and cake is the weapon we use to fight them!"

Turning to Puck, Rachel rolled her eyes and placed her hands on her hips disapprovingly.

"Noah!"

He smirked unrepentantly at her and slung an arm around Quinn's shoulders companionably. The diva tensed for a moment wondering how the blonde would take the familiar gesture from a man she hardly knew…to her relief Quinn merely grinned and put her own arm around her newfound allies waist.

"See! Two against one princess, I suggest you accept defeat gratefully."

Sighing with mock irritation she waved a hand airily.

"Very well I concede this argument…for now…and no you don't have to eat carrots later, but I'm still picking the film now!"

Puck looked at Quinn and winced.

"Maybe you should have just eaten the carrots, now you'll have to sit through some romantic claptrap where the guy gets the girl, loses the girl, then get's the girl again when he's much wiser and sensitive."

Quinn laughed loudly and nodded in agreement.

"So basically…any romantic film of the last decade then?"

Grinning, the tall guy bumped fists with the hockey player as they both turned to Rachel. The diva then had to bite her lip to prevent herself from grinning as both the carrot haters directed winks at her to show they were joking.

"Well, now the great vegetable debate is over perhaps we can concentrate on the skating?"

All three of them moved out onto the ice, giggling and nudging each others shoulders like a bunch of teenagers. Rachel laughed and cheered Quinn on as she and Puck broke into a speed race around the rink, eventually collapsing in a bundle at the amused diva's feet. Their impromptu little gathering was unpleasantly interrupted by another familiar voice, this one was most definitely _not _welcome however.

"Well, there's a surprise, the freaks of the sport all bundled together…I see you're still demonstrating the juvenile behaviour that's making you a laughing stock."

Rachel's spine had stiffened at the scornful tone Jesse had adopted, but she at least was used to it, as was Puck. Quinn however was unfortunately far too hot blooded and Jesse knew it would be her he would get a reaction from, and she didn't disappoint. Hauling herself to her feet she skated forwards smoothly, grinning when she saw the smirking idiot flinch at her approach.

"Back off St James…and for a laughing stock we sure as hell kicked your ass last time we met!"

He shrugged as though that loss was of no consequence, before Rachel could speak he carried on in his waspish tone.

"Last time was just for show you idiot, it's only this competition that counts and I think you'll find your reception is quite different when it's mostly made up of professionals and officials…rather than inbred's! Speaking of which, how _are _your 'family'?"

Although Rachel was just out of hand's reach, Puck wasn't and he firmly grabbed hold of Quinn when he saw her make a move to lunge for Jesse, for his part Jesse gave a little yelp of fear and flushed bright red when he heard other skaters laughing behind him. Eyes narrowing in fury he levelled a finger at Quinn's equally as enraged face.

"You just revel in the fact you're a thug with a violent history don't you? Seeing people cower in fear is probably the only thing that makes you feel good about yourself!"

This time even Puck couldn't hold her and grabbing hold of Jesse's shirt with two clenched fists she yanked him so close only he, Rachel and Puck could hear what was said.

"You know something Jesse…you are _really _pushing your luck with me pal! But know this…I have violence in my past yes, but revel in it? Far from it you over privileged little snot! But the one thing I _did _learn is how to make assholes like you dissapear, so get the hell out of mine and Rachel's air space and shut the hole in your face before I fill it with cement…understand!"

With the last word she let go of him abruptly and in his haste to move away his skates slipped and he fell on his ass with another yelp. Around them the rink had now gone quiet, despite it being only the second time they had skated against each other, their rivalry was already being compared to Harding and Kerrigan. Quinn was shaking with anger, everything in her was wanting to punch the smug superior look off this assholes face, but she wouldn't, partly for Rachel's sake, but more importantly…for her own. Forcing herself to calm she heard his parting words as he scrambled to his feet and back towards his silent and stunned looking skating partner.

"You wont win this one Fabray! Everyone's going to find out _who _and _what _you really are and they'll throw your ass out!"

With that he skated off with as much of his tattered dignity as he could muster, Quinn was only vaguely aware of a breathless Kurt skating up to join them, asking if everything was okay. In fact, the next thing she was consciously aware of was Rachel's warm hand slipping into hers and the diva's cool soothing tones breaking through the anger.

"Hey it's okay…Gretzky he was being an ass and everyone saw that, we were keeping ourselves to ourselves and having fun catching up with our friends, it was him that came up to us and started this. You did nothing wrong, you didn't hit him and you only said what I was too angry to find the words for…okay…Quinn?"

Focusing on the concerned warm brown gaze in front of her, the hockey player mentally and visibly shook off the last of the emotional tornado before letting a breath out slowly. When she had control of her vocal chords again she smiled back reassuringly.

"I'm okay…I think, that guy just really gets under my skin, and to be honest its that fact that bothers me more than he himself does."

Nodding slightly, the diva rested her forehead on Quinns softly, behind them Kurt and Puck were making a strategic withdrawal to leave them to it.

"It's what he does, he isn't physically strong enough to take anyone on so he plays mind games, I wish I could tell you to ignore it but I know how hard that is, it worked on me remember? Blew my chances at the Olympics last time because of him and those mind games."

Pulling back enough to plant a kiss on Rachel's forehead, Quinn took another calming breath and then managed a half convincing smirk.

"Yeah, well he wont do it again, because this time we're going to be the ones that win and he's going to be the one that ends up blowing it…big time! I wont let him affect you that way ever again princess, that's a promise okay? And no matter how hard he pushes me I wont hit him, I know that's what he wants, that way he can press charges and with my record he knows it's likely I'll go back to prison. I think that's what annoys me most, I _know _what he's doing and how he thinks, but I cant stop myself from giving him the reaction he wants."

Moving them subtly to the side of the rink and out of the main practice area, Rachel shook her head in disagreemnt.

"You only _think _you are, you said yourself that you know he wants you to hit him and you havent done it, if anything you should be proud of the fact that although he seems to know which of your buttons to push you havent done what he wants…you're smarter than I was."

Turning to the faintly melancholy little diva, Quinn reached out, and gently hooking a finger under her chin, moved it gently upwards until their gazes locked. Smiling softly she shrugged a shoulder before speaking in a gentle tone that held a firmness that couldn't be mistaken.

"Listen up princess, you weren't dumb, you trusted him…and putting your trust in someone is something that shouldn't be taken lightly. The only idiot in that situation was him, because he had someone as wonderful as you trust him, care about him, and he betrayed all of it to steal a medal out from under you. He's a low down dirty rat and not worth making you feel bad about yourself for."

Smiling faintly at the words Quinn had used and the reference to the film they had settled down with the other night, Rachel bit her lower lip.

"Rat huh, you think he qualifies as a rat?"

Knowing exactly where Rachel was headed Quinn grinned widely and took the bait.

"Okay…not a rat, maybe at a push he's a flea on a rat, a really dirty manky rat whose too foul even to live in the gutter."

Joining one hand with the hockey players and skating to a clear spot on the rink to start moving through some moves, Rachel finished their adapted movie quote.

"Nah he's more like an ameoba on a flea on a rat!"

Both grinning stupidly they bumped fists as Puck skated past with a wriggling and indignant Kurt over one shoulder, although he did stop yelling at the mohawked boy long enough to speak as they swept past.

"Amen!"

Shaking the last of their unpleasant encounter with Jesse from their minds, the two women moved smoothly through the moves they would be using for their compulsory programme. Like most of the other skaters out on the rink, they were far too secretive about their freestyle programme to practice it where others might be able to get a sneak peek. In a break between moves, Quinn chugged blue Gatorade while Rachel mopped at her face and neck with a towel.

"So, are any of your family making it down to this show then? I think daddy will be coming, but dad is flying to Paris for another meeting."

Reaching out Quinn squeezed the diva's shoulder before tucking her empty bottle back into the kit bag.

"I'm sorry honey, I know how much it means when they can both make it, as for _my _folks, I told my moms not to because it's too close to them flying out for the operation. Dave is with them making sure everything is ready and planned for and I'm not sure about San, she said she and Brittany wanted to get down here but she wasn't sure yet."

Shrugging slightly the hockey player stretched until she could feel the vertebrae in her neck pop satisfyingly, at Rachel's wince she grinned.

"It _sounds _bad but it feels so good! What do you say we practice our solo spins and then head back to the hotel? After a shower I'm thinking maybe a nice 'turn your brain off' movie and room service food."

Smiling sweetly, Rachel teased.

"So, two house salads hold the dressing and 'My sisters keeper' then?"

At Quinn's indignant expression Rachel held her hands up in surrender.

"I'm kiding of course! How about Airplane and pizza?"

Grinning widely, the hockey player fist pumped triumphantly and then pulled the little diva towards her for a kiss, it was only as they pulled apart that they noticed some of the other skaters looking at them fondly, and in some cases enviously. Blushing, Quinn cleared her throat and let out a breath.

"Well, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that anyone who wasn't aware of us as a couple, probably will be now…sorry about that?"

Shrugging happily Rachel bent her head down from her position sat on Quinn's lap and kissed her again.

"I couldn't care less about what other people think about it…I love you and I'm proud of the fact you love me back. So what do you say we call it quits for the night and you take me home, well, to the hotel anyway, so we can be sickeningly sweet together in private?"

Setting Rachel back onto her feet swiftly, Quinn snapped to mock attention and with a very deep and courtly bow drawled in her best butler voice.

"As her majesty wishes!"

Swatting at the smirking hockey players arm with the sweaty towel, the diva went about getting their kit together, occasionally helped by Quinn who was trying to throw stuff into the bag like she was playing basketball. Pouting when the diva took her last 'ball' away, which was in actual fact another rolled up face towel, she sighed dramatically and taking the bag from the diva threw it over one shoulder before offering her free arm. They walked back towards the hotel happily, the incident with Jesse St James all but forgotten…until the next morning that was. Before they were even properly awake or dressed there was a pounding on their hotel room door, frowning, Quinn checked her watch and looked to Rachel who shrugged. As they were in adjoining rooms it wasn't odd that they would be found in the same room so the hockey player stood up and went to answer it, peering through the peephole she sighed and opened the door.

"Coach, come _on_! We have like five hours before we're due on the ice and I havent even gotten the taste of the toothpaste out of my mouth yet!"

Smiling weakly at the joke, Will ran one hand through his immovable hair, the other clutching a copy of a gossip rag tightly. At the look on his face and the way he kept darting his eyes to the paper Rachel knew what was coming, or at least she had a good idea anyway. Frowning in concern she took Quinn's hand and led the clueless hockey player to the sofa.

"Just tell us what it is Will, we've been expecting something to come out about us being together romantically…we talked about it with my dad's remember? We're prepared so just…tell us and get it over with."

Pacing in front of them the coach grimaced slightly and wondered how to put this exactly, Quinn, who now knew what was going on, just looked resigned and picked up her coffee cup with a shrug.

"Like Rae said…we knew it was coming so just show us how bad it is, that way we know what plan to put into action."

Pausing in his frantic pacing Will blurted.

"No…I mean, it's not what we thought it would be, it's not what we prepared for and it's…Quinn I don't know how they found out or how they got to him but…"

Before he could say any more the hockey player was on her feet, one hand reaching for the paper which he automatically pulled out of her reach. She rose a cool eyebrow and gestured for him to hand it over to her, after another moments indecision he passed it across, babbling even as he did so.

"It's not as bad as it looks Quinn, we can sort this out, it's just a gossip rag after all…Leroy and Santana are on the way here to help us put something together."

Quinn didn't even hear him as she stared down at the front page and felt herself going cold with dread…and not a little fear. Splashed across the front page in bold colour was a photograph of her father's prison mug shot, underneath was an inset one of her with a tall tanned dark haired woman, Laura, that must have been taken by a reporter at some point. The headline above the images was direct and to the point…and made her stomach roll unpleasantly, hurling the paper from her in a blind panic she bolted for the bathroom, only just making it before she threw up violently. Rachel dashed to pick up the paper and see what had made her girlfriend react so violently, when she saw the headline she gasped in outrage and her hand tightened so much she found herself tearing the cheap paper.

Hurling it back towards their concerned coach she took off after Quinn into the bathroom, needing to be with the distraught hockey player. Will looked down at the printed words and wondered wryly how anyone could say that words could never hurt someone…THE TRUTH ABOUT THE SKATING WORLDS NEWEST STAR…IN THE WORDS OF HER FATHER. It went on to talk about the criminal aspects of Quinn's past, making it look a lot worse than it had been and far from forced. Throwing it aside he looked to the closed bathroom door and hoped like hell Leroy would get there before the women were due to skate…and that it was him, and not Santana, that found the person responsible for the article, or the next headline could be a lot more graphic!

_Ooh! so how much do you all hate me right now for the cliffhanger huh? I promise that the next chapter will resolve at least a part of this dilemma, and I may let Santana loose on whomever it was that directed the paper towards Quinn's father…anyone have any idea who it was exactly? I can guarantee you that you don't because it's going to be the new character, from glee naturally, points to anyone who guesses correctly the name of the character and how they come into the story. Now I'll go back to RBR where I'm working on another cliff hanger/twist that might make you hate me! But it makes a good story…right? Updates will be a little more sporadic as my beta is swamped with work and I don't want to add to that too much because it's not fair…and if I'm honest it's partly due to the fact I have discovered the joys of Skyrim and cant stay away from it, I've been playing it less than a week and I'm already level 30! If anyone has any hints BTW feel free to let me know them lol, I'm already happily married to Aela and life (Skyrim life anyway) is good! Right, back to real life and the RBR update which fingers crossed should be done in the next week. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter and as usual feel free to let me know your views via either PM or review! Mwah! xxxxxxxxxxxx_


	22. Chapter 22

Rachel found Quinn in the bathroom holding onto the toilet bowl as she finished throwing up what was probably everything she had eaten in the last 24 hours. Grimacing in sympathy, the little diva knelt down next to her and rubbed her back soothingly, internally she was cursing the _hell _out of whomever it was that wanted to hurt Quinn in this way.

"It's okay sweetheart, daddy will find out who is behind that story and sue them into oblivion!"

Sitting up with a groan, the hockey player tore off a strip of paper from the roll next to her head and wiped her mouth before flushing the lot. Sighing, she forced a half smile before reaching out to grasp Rachel's hand, needing, as well as _wanting _the reassurance from that simple contact.

"Look, it had to happen sooner or later, I mean, I never made a secret about my messed up past, it's not as though I didn't expect this."

Squeezing the hand in hers gently, Rachel lifted Quinn's knuckles to her lips and kissed them before she spoke.

"I know that, but…it still isn't easy to see your name splashed across the tabloids as they rake through your life. I know, I mean _my _past isn't as painful as yours by a long shot but I know how much of a gut punch it is when you see it in black and white in front of you."

Leaning back until she could use the wall for support, Quinn blew out a tired breath before she quietly admitted.

"I…to be honest, the news article itself _doesn't _bother me, I mean it hurts sure but I wouldn't expect anything less from an asshole like Russell. But what really got me…was that picture, I just…I saw it and the reaction was just instantaneous. I never wanted to see _that_ woman again let alone see a damn picture of me in her grasp and be reminded of what a fucking weakling I was back then!"

As she spoke, her free hand curled into a fist, thumping down onto her leg angrily, something Rachel was quick to stop as she reached out and stilled the motion effortlessly.

"_No_…I'm not having that!"

The words were quietly spoken but no less fierce for their lack of volume, frowning, the hockey player looked up in confusion. Smiling gently, the little diva pulled on both of Quinn's hands, wrapping them around her waist until they were hugging lightly.

"You are not weak…you never were, you were a child Quinn Fabray. A goddamn innocent child who had no business being in the position she put you in, what you went through would have completely broken most people. It did _not _break you, in fact you found not only the strength to endure the treatment she visited upon you, but to run away as soon as you had the chance. The only person in that situation who was wrong was that…bitch!"

Eyes widening at the alien sounding curse word, Quinn pulled back and smiled weakly.

"You _swore _Rachel Berry! I mean, that was a genuine rude word and you don't use those words."

Grinning slightly, the diva shrugged a shoulder casually before leaning forward to steal a kiss from the faintly smiling hockey player.

"Sometimes I swear, when the situation or the person in question calls for it then I _do _swear. I just don't believe in the indiscriminate use of curse words to replace perfectly adequate ones in everyday conversation. _That _woman however doesn't even deserve the dignity of her name being used, she is most certainly a person who invites the use of swear words."

Felling an unfamiliar swell of protective affection from Rachel, Quinn's smile widened into a genuinely happy one.

"Sometimes, just sometimes, you still surprise me Rachel Berry. You don't have to protect me you know, I'm more than used to fighting my own battles."

Rolling her eyes good naturedly, Rachel reached out to tuck several loose strands of blonde hair behind Quinn's ears.

"You really can be an idiot sometimes Fabray, you know that right? I'm not sure if anyone has mentioned it to you or anything…but you aren't alone anymore and you don't have to fight your battles as though you are."

Quinn opened her mouth, whether to argue, agree or protest, Rachel would never know because she ploughed on…mostly because she knew the likelihood was that Quinn would try and explain all the reasons that _this _fight was one she had to face alone, when in truth she really didn't.

"I know what you're going to say and for once I am going to call bullshit, and yes I _did _just swear again! But honestly Quinn, you need to hear what I'm saying to you now, what your mom's, Santana and Dave have been trying to tell you since you went to live with them."

She paused and waited for the hockey player to nod, it was hesitant but it was a nod nevertheless, and smiling softly, Rachel carried on.

"You are NOT alone anymore, you haven't been for a while because I know every one of your family would stand by your side in any fight you might have to take part in. As for me, I'm not content just to be by your side for battle, in fact, I'll be the one flying the Faberry standard and charging out front to take down whomever it is that thinks they have the right to treat you badly!"

Unable to stop herself, Quinn grinned crookedly and leapt onto one of the phrases the fired up little diva had used.

"_Faberry _standard huh? Where did that little mash up come from Princess?"

Waving a hand airily, the diva explained.

"It's something our fans came up with, I have no idea who originally thought of it but I think it's great! I'm surprised you haven't seen the banners everywhere when we skate to be honest, even Brittany and Santana have T-shirts with it on. Anyway, this is getting off the topic Gretzky and I'm not so easily distracted when my mind is set about something!"

Rolling her eyes indulgently, Quinn held up a hand in surrender before speaking.

"Okay…but if we're going to have this conversation could I maybe brush my teeth and get dressed?"

Pretending to look thoughtful, Rachel finally nodded and standing up first, helped Quinn get to her feet.

"Of course, I love you, you big doofus, I just want you to know that, to realise that the days of Quinn Fabray fighting her corner with nothing but her own fists and plain luck are over. You have a family, _two _actually if you count my dad's, and despite what you think they love you as one of theirs already. But most importantly you have me, and I can be _quite _the formidable weapon!"

Laughing softly, Quinn leant down to kiss her partner's forehead, resting there for a moment; she held her close before whispering.

"Ya know what? I don't doubt that for a minute Princess, now let's get sorted out and get ready to go kick some ass on the ice…then we'll gather this army of mine and set about preparing a battle plan, okay?"

Grinning brightly, Rachel looked up and pressed a brief soft kiss to the hockey player's lips before patting her midriff.

"You have a deal Gretzky, now get your teeth brushed because you taste faintly of vomit."

Winking, the diva abruptly shot out of the bathroom giggling, Quinn's reply wafting out behind her.

"I never asked you to kiss my vomit mouth you know!"

Her only reply was another giggle, shaking her head in amusement, Quinn realised that not only had Rachel managed to calm her rattled nerves, but she had also successfully gotten her to feel like not only _could _she kick ass but that she really _wanted _to as well. Letting out a sharp bark of laughter in recognition of her Princess's amazing talents, the hockey player set about making sure her mouth didn't taste even _remotely _of vomit. An hour later the newspaper incident had almost been pushed to the back of their minds as they set about getting ready for the compulsories, as usual Quinn sat through the makeup and costume proceedings with a half grimace. Rachel was ecstatic to be getting ready to perform again and was chatting animatedly at a mile a minute, that alone caused Quinn to laugh softly. Jason, who was busy working on her hair at that moment, shook his head softly.

"You two are almost too cute together, do you know that?"

Unused to being described as cute, Quinn shifted in her seat a little, until Jason scolded her into stillness.

"What do you mean cute, I mean I've been called many things, but _cute_…really not one of 'em!"

Grinning wickedly, Jason rubbed more wax into the blonde locks as he explained.

"Well okay, when you're on your own you're handsome or chivalrous, is that better?"

After the hockey player's satisfied nod, he carried on.

"However, when the two of you are in the same room both of your edges seem to soften, I mean it's well known that Rachel, as much as I love her, can be _quite _the bitch when she wants to be, but since you came along…she's been a perfect angel. The two of you in the same room are just adorable, it's like watching a romance novel play out, you always look at each other, even when you don't know you're doing it. Sometimes it's not direct, it's through the mirror but it's like…well, it's just amazingly sweet."

Blushing a dark red, Quinn cleared her throat and muttered gruffly.

"Do me a favour and keep that to yourself huh? Reputation to protect and all that…"

Jason laughed before assuming as serious a face as he could under the circumstances, nodding gravely, he finished off the Bond hairstyle with a flourish.

"As you say Mr. Bond, and…voila! You're all set to go and get up close and personal with Miss Onatopp over there."

He gestured to the already made up Rachel and grinned, remembering the final scene between Bond and Xenia in the film Goldeneye, Quinn found the blush, which had just started to fade, heating up her face again and couldn't resist muttering.

"I can think of worse ways to go."

Tutting her in a scolding manner, Jason slapped at her shoulder lightly.

"Stop being so perverted, I'm young and innocent and you'll end up corrupting me!"

There was a laugh from behind the divide and Isaac stuck his head round the corner, one eyebrow raised in disbelief.

"That is such a lie Jason McTigue! You were corrupted a long time ago, before even I met you in fact…actually, come to think of it I think _you _were the one that corrupted _me_!"

Squawking in outrage, Jason aimed a swipe at Isaac who successfully ducked out of the way with a giggle; Jason called after him.

"If you aren't careful Mister, you wont be corrupted any further for an _extremely _long time!"

His only answer was the faint sound of a raspberry being blown, smirking to herself, Quinn slunk off to snatch Rachel into a hug. Giggling, the little diva allowed herself to be spun around lightly for a moment, when safely back on her own two feet she raised an amused eyebrow.

"I take it you're feeling much better?"

Shrugging casually, Quinn nodded.

"Yeah, this amazing chick gave me an awesome pep talk that just cleared a few things up for me."

Raising an eyebrow, the little diva stepped back and folded her arms as she played along.

"I see, should I be jealous of this amazing chick?"

Pretending to think about it, the hockey player eventually nodded with a mischievous grin.

"Well, she _is _extraordinarily hot…"

Raising both eyebrows, Rachel's spine stiffened, with a haughty sniff she moved forward and grabbed the lapels of the towelling robe Quinn had on while they waited for their costumes. Yanking the surprised hockey player forward, Rachel assumed her most challenging gaze and murmured.

"I see, well can she kiss like _this_?"

So saying, Quinn found herself not just being kissed but being KISSED, unsure whether her feet were actually touching the floor or not, the hockey player actually found herself weak-kneed at the way Rachel gently, but incredibly thoroughly, set about claiming every single inch of her mouth. In fact, she was pretty sure she would have passed out if it hadn't been for the timely intervention of Isaac clearing his throat pointedly.

"If you two don't mind, I'd like to see about getting you into your costumes…_before _you end up putting on a live show that most certainly does not belong on ice!"

Both of them were flushed bright red and breathless as they panted for air, the most they managed was a nod and vague wave in his direction as he walked away giggling. Smirking, Rachel smiled innocently and reiterated her question.

"So…about this awesome chick…?"

Blowing out a breath and spinning one hand around airily, Quinn murmured faintly.

"I have no idea _who _you're talking about, the only chick I need is you!"

Smiling happily, Rachel leaned in to place a chaste kiss on the hockey player's cheek (which was immediately cancelled out by the cheeky butt grab she simultaneously executed) before saying.

"Good girl!"

So saying she literally skipped off to allow Isaac to help her into her costume, leaving a somewhat flustered and flummoxed Quinn behind her. Shaking her head in amusement, the hockey player raised an eyebrow before speaking to Brad the Chihuahua.

"I get the feeling I just got expertly played huh?"

Tilting his head to one side, Brad let out a yip then started chewing on the edge of his bed, taking that as agreement Quinn made her way round to the dressing area where Rachel was putting the finishing touches to her simple outfit, for once they were wearing something very similar. Unlike most of the Bond based ice dances that revolved around James and one of his many women, they had decided to take a chance and do something a little different. So instead of the usual routine, they had decided to go for a dance interpretation of one of the fights between Goldeneye's Bond and Xenia, ending in her trademark leg squeeze, which for them would be their own unique take on the neck spin and lift. Blowing out a breath, Quinn took her seat as Isaac finished creating magic with Rachel. Her outfit consisted of black leggings with stitched pockets to resemble combat trousers, this was topped with a black v neck t-shirt that was now a particular favourite of Quinn's (well it _was _tight), and boot style toppers that would fit over the skates much as Quinn's pirate ones had done, and black leather effect fingerless gloves. It was finished with light touches of makeup and an up-do with strategic curled locks falling down on either side of her face. Grinning slightly, the hockey player looked at Isaac rather than Jason as she commented.

"She gets to keep that outfit right?"

Unable to help himself, Isaac roared with laughter at both Quinn's unrepentant expression and Rachel's embarrassed flush.

"Honey, you guys can keep whatever you want, just don't tell me what you do with them!"

Rubbing her jaw with one hand, the hockey player shot a wink at Isaac courtesy of the mirror as she slipped out of her robe and into the outfit. Hers was very similar to Rachel's this time only in olive green as opposed to black, the trousers were slightly baggier and the top was styled as a shirt as opposed to a T-shirt. Instead of the fingerless gloves, Quinn had a khaki coloured utility vest to finish off her ensemble, standing up she regarded herself minus the skates and nodded an approval.

"Damn fine work as always my man, can't _wait _to see what you have worked out for the final version of our next dance's costumes… I also can't believe we have to do it tomorrow though, I mean I can see _why _it's stretched out but it's annoying, you're keyed up and ready and you just want to get it over with, ya know?"

Leaning in closer, the older man couldn't help but tip her a wink as he drawled.

"Well now not _everything _can be rushed Miss Fabray, some things are much better if you take your time and get it right?"

Trying not to trip over her own feet, Quinn flushed as she retreated to the safety of Rachel's arms, Isaac chuckled to himself and set about cleaning up the dressing area. Once safely back with her little diva, the hockey player rested her head on her shoulder and inhaled the faint trace of her Armani perfume.

"You smell gorgeous as always princess…um, I just wanted to, well, thank you for this morning. I didn't expect to react the way I did and it totally span me out."

Gently nipping the tip of the hockey player's nose, Rachel smiled.

"That isn't something you _ever _have to thank me for Gretzky, I'm sort of gonna be with you constantly from now on in fact, so you should most likely get used to it."

Smirking, Quinn pretended to look thoughtful for all of thirty seconds before whispering.

"I can think of _far _worse fates Rach, and I know I don't _have _to thank you but I'm not going to stop, to me it's amazing that you can come and just calm my crazy with a few simple words. I just don't want to scare you off, because I'm fairly sure my reaction to, um, to _that _woman is always going to be that violent."

Shrugging, Rachel pulled her closer so she could nuzzle into her shoulder and whisper her gentle reply.

"And every time you do I'll be there, that woman is nothing but evil and if I ever meet her I can't promise you that _I _won't be the one having the violent reaction!"

Chuckling slightly, Quinn admitted.

"There's a part of me that would actually find that so amazingly awesome…but the other part of me insists that risking a charge for assault isn't worth the satisfaction of watching you lay her out."

Filing that away for future reference, Rachel was about to reply when Will called out and halted any further conversation.

"Come on guys, time for team Faberry to get out there and show just how much you've improved since the last competition."

Winking at the diva, Quinn held her hand out for Rachel's, once their fingers were intertwined tightly they headed out onto the sidelines of the rink to lace their skates. Kurt and his partner were just winding up their performance with a spectacular death spiral, they had obviously been training hard since the last competition and looked amazing. Quinn raised an eyebrow and glanced across to Rachel who blew a silent impressed whistle before bending to double-check her laces. The hockey player could feel her guts churning horribly again but thanks to the newspaper incident earlier that morning, there was nothing for her to throw up. Swallowing reflexively, she was suddenly aware of the reassuring warmth of Rachel leaning into her to whisper.

"We're going to be fine, _you're _going to be fine!"

Puffing out her chest proudly, Quinn thumped it before assuming a macho tone.

"Me tough!"

Rolling her eyes, the diva tugged on Quinn's arms gently.

"I was thinking more that you're an amazingly talented figure skater, and that we're about to make Jesse cry when he see's how damn good we are and what he's actually up against!"

Laughing, Quinn inclined her head downwards to steal a quick kiss, much to the enjoyment of the members of the crowd nearest them, who hadn't missed the gesture of affection and aww-ed loudly. Flushing a faint red, the hockey player pulled back to duck her head for a moment in order to compose herself. When she looked up again the crowd were on their feet and applauding Kurt loudly, all of which meant the pair had only moments before they were due to skate out onto the ice. Sure enough the official turned and gestured to them, keeping their hands linked they skated out onto the ice and a round of applause. Inhaling and then exhaling slowly to the count of six to calm and centre herself, Quinn took up her starting position which had her crouched on one knee looking towards Rachel. Opening her eyes, she broke into a spontaneous smile as she saw Rachel get ready in her own starting position which was ten feet away. Staring ahead towards Quinn with one skate forward and the other slightly backwards with the toe pick dug in, ready to burst into action, the diva very discreetly winked. Assuming an appropriately concerned look for her 'character', Quinn focused in on Rachel and Rachel alone, seconds later the music started up and she was one hundred percent invested in the routine.

Although in the film, this particular scene had been choreographed to a musical score, both Quinn and Rachel had decided the theme tune to the film fit much better. As Tina Turner's iconic Goldeneye drifted out of the speakers, the two dancers flowed towards each other. Quinn, as Bond, moving more cautiously as Rachel's Xenia moved with the intensity of purpose. In a move that went against both convention and the usual make up of their partnership, it was Quinn that ended up closer to the ice when they met in the middle of the rink. Holding herself up with the weight of her body evenly spaced on the skates, Rachel leapt up as they came together, and resting her knees either side of the blonde's hips, simulated the move Xenia had used to knock Bond over. As they moved fluidly into their sit spin at the point of contact there was another round of applause, moving from the spin both ice dancers separated, Quinn skating backwards as Rachel carried on forwards again, the two of them matching each other in their step sequences as they did so. The hockey player's confidence swelled as applause broke out to signify that they had done them seamlessly, smothering her grin to stay in character they came to meet in the middle again for another simulated tussle/lift.

Leaping up from an axel, Rachel landed neatly on Quinn's shoulder in a swan lift, skating smoothly in a circle, the little diva exited the lift with Quinn's help and the two of them took off round the rink side by side with another step sequence. They were just launching into the oft practiced and hard to nail triple axel when _it _happened. The take off was perfect, it was synchronised, smooth and the turns themselves were bang on target…however, the landing didn't go _quite _as well. Up until that point Quinn had forgotten the morning's problems and the newspaper report, she was simply enjoying the thrill of competitive figure skating. As she came out of the third axel to land she caught something, or thought she did, out of the corner of her eye, she definitely registered Jesse chatting away animatedly with a tall blonde woman in a track suit. What she wasn't so sure of was whether or not she had, in actual fact, caught a glimpse of Laura just behind them…or whether her imagination was running riot.

Real or not, the dark haired woman's presence was enough to throw the hockey player's concentration off, and as she landed her ankle wasn't at the correct angle. The result was a very definite wobble that ruined the triple axel and sent a sharp pain stabbing through her foot, swallowing down the curse, she ignored both the pain and the mistake to move straight into the next lift. She couldn't bring herself to meet Rachel's eyes as they finished their skate, despite the wobble, the applause was still very enthusiastic and Will greeted them so happily she could almost forget her fault. Until she looked up and saw them replaying it that was, at that point she let her eyes drop to her feet even as she plastered on a brave smile for the watching crowd and Rachel. As the scores started to come in she felt herself deflate slightly, it wasn't the worst skate of the day but it certainly wasn't the best and it left them in fourth place in the standings, meaning they had a hell of a lot of work to do in the free skate tomorrow in order to make it onto the podium.

The final scores were 5.7, 5.8, 5.6, 5.6. Will nodded, happy with that result given the slip up, glancing at Rachel he saw a relieved smile on her face too, but…he had no idea what Quinn thought about it as she had resorted to the blank eyed show smile he hadn't seen on her for so long that it's resurrection scared him. Glancing at Rachel, he saw the little skater nod imperceptibly and gesture to the changing area with her head, knowing that she would want privacy, he moved first to ensure that Jason and Isaac left the women in peace. As soon as the next skate started and the attention was on them and not Quinn and Rachel, the brunette took hold of the hockey player's hand and led the way back into the changing area. Sitting down next to each other on the bench to unlace their skates, Rachel bit her tongue and just waited, she knew if they were going to have this conversation then Quinn had to start it. The little diva had no idea what had caused the lapse in concentration but she did know that whatever it was it could have been a hell of a lot worse! However, knowing Quinn as well as she did she also knew the blonde would be giving herself a harder time than either her or Will ever would. Eventually the hockey player sat up and letting her head rest on the wall behind her murmured.

"I'm sorry I fucked it up for us princess…I just, my mind was playing tricks on me I guess…"

She trailed off with a guilty frown, attempting to make light of the issue with her patented half smile, Rachel however was having none of it.

"To coin one of your sister's favourite phrases…'I call bullshit Fabray'"

Eyes widening in disbelief at the combination of the cursing and no nonsense tone, Quinn swallowed and opened her mouth before closing it when she realised she had no idea how to react to that. Smiling to soften the harsh edge to the words she had used, Rachel let out a small sigh and wrapping one of the hockey player's hands in both of hers decided to explain further.

"Let me just make a couple of things clear sweetheart, firstly, _everyone _has the occasional slip up, it's just a part of competitive skating! And it happens to the best as well as the worst of us so you most certainly do not have permission to beat yourself up over it!"

At the faint smirk on the blonde's face she knew she had hit the nail on the head with that little guess, now for the second shot in the dark.

"Secondly, I like to think I know you, and as such I _know _that there was a cause to your lapse of concentration and the subsequent stumble. So rather than let you keep it inside and allow it to fester, I would rather you tell me…even if you think I might not like it."

Smiling slightly with a mixture of relief and amazement at just how much the little diva had surmised in the few short minutes since they came off the ice, Quinn leaned in close and allowed herself to be pulled in for a hug.

"You know…I think that letting you and Santana hang around so much might be a bad idea!"

At the murmured comment, Rachel couldn't help laughing, kissing the crown of Quinn's head she let out a long breath.

"Hmm, bit too late for that now Gretzky, we have that whole extended family thing going on so technically she's my sister too…hey! Do you think if I tell her that to her face she'll implode?"

Now Quinn was laughing out loud as well, after a few moments amusement that successfully dissipated the dark mood the hockey player had been headed towards, Quinn lifted her head, smiling in wonder.

"How do you _do _that? Know exactly what to say to just…bring me back to myself?"

Flushing self-consciously, Rachel shrugged a shoulder.

"It's not a one way thing you know Quinn, you do the same for me all the time! You know when I'm close to having a diva freak out in practice and stop it in it's tracks. You know when I'm scared at night being in a house so big and you make us those cosy nests. I think it just happens when you love someone like…well, like this."

Leaning forward to rest her forehead on Rachel's, Quinn whispered her next question.

"Like what princess?"

Smiling very softly, the diva's reply was just as quiet.

"Well, not to sound too schmaltzy but…like we're in a Disney film, the whole happily ever after thing complete with the big white wedding. Because I found my soul mate, we _are _soul mates, I know we are, and I'll fight anyone who says otherwise!"

Grinning widely, Quinn stole a soft kiss before nodding in agreement.

"We are definitely soul mates, and I'll tell you something else Rachel Berry, _you _are not the only one that would fight for what we have. On a slightly more, _libidinous _note, can I just say the thought of you fighting for me is kinda hot."

Rolling her eyes, Rachel slapped at Quinn's leg lightly, causing the hockey player to giggle, more at the pleased flush on the diva's cheeks than the grin on her lips. Huffing slightly and flipping her hair over her shoulder, the brunette reluctantly brought them back to the reason for the conversation.

"Although I'm pleased that you find the image appealing, I'd rather we helped you to work through what happened…okay?"

Relaxing and deciding that talking about the situation was most likely the best thing she could do, even if it did cause some unpleasant feelings, Quinn blew out a breath and threaded her fingers with Rachel's as she began to speak haltingly.

"I just…I know this is going to sound _really _stupid, and I also know that it's most likely a side effect of that photograph, but earlier, as we were coming out of the triple I thought…well, I could have sworn I saw…_her _standing behind Jesse and some tall blonde woman."

Eyes softening at how that must have made the blonde feel, especially in the middle of a competitive skate, Rachel squeezed her hand and spoke gently.

"Baby, it's perfectly plausible that you thought you saw her, I mean I'm not going to insult your intelligence by telling you that I know how you feel because I don't. I _do _know that seeing an image of that, _woman_…after so long was bound to cause you to get jumpy and you shouldn't blame yourself for that reaction one single bit. Frankly, the fact that you went ahead with the competition at all is amazing and makes me so proud of you, I want to yell at the top of my voice to all the other skaters that I have the best partner ever…but Will wouldn't let me."

Raising one eyebrow, Quinn glanced at Rachel in disbelief, seeing the pout on those kissable lips however made her realise she was indeed speaking the truth. Chuckling, she leaned sideways to brush a gentle kiss across the diva's temple.

"I must remember to thank Will, not sure it would have helped our relations with any of the other skaters if you'd done that!"

Rachel smirked to herself and muttered.

"I think Puck would have cheered us as well, and Kurt of course, maybe even Tina."

Rolling amused hazel eyes, Quinn pulled Rachel back into her side and sighed happily.

"Well, now you know at least, and I'm sorry I went quiet, it's just…when things go wrong, I tend to take all the blame myself, and as you so rightly pointed out, beat myself up over it. I keep forgetting I don't have to do that any more and I'm sorry for that…but I _am _trying princess, I really am."

Kissing the tip of the hockey player's nose, Rachel grinned and winked.

"I know, and until it stick's, I'm here to remind you."

They sat in silence for a moment, just happy to hold each other until Quinn allowed herself to whisper the question that had been on her mind since that moment on the ice.

"You don't think it could actually have been her do you?"

Frowning at both the possibility that it might be true and the fact it was so obviously a very clear and present danger in Quinn's mind, Rachel replied thoughtfully.

"I would say no, I mean, why would she come after you after all this time, especially now you have a cop and a former cop as your parents. However, I want you to feel safe so I know how we can find out, I'll ask my dad to see who's staying in the hotel, but I doubt she is anywhere even remotely close to this ice rink…and if she is then she'll run like Hell if she knows what's good for her!"

The last was said with the same grim determination Rachel used when committing a new routine to memory, and Quinn had to admit that it worried her a little bit, she knew what could happen if you let your fists do the talking all the time. Catching hold of the diva's chin with the thumb and forefinger of her free hand, the hockey player's concerned hazel gaze locked with Rachel's simmering brown one.

"Listen to me princess, if we ever come across her you have to promise me you won't do what you want to…I don't want you going down the same path I did. Do I think she deserves a punch in the face? _Hell _yeah! That and so very much more, but _not _at the expense of anyone I love and care about, I refuse to let her poison infect anyone else…especially you. So you promise me right _now _Rachel Berry, promise me that you won't do anything stupid if she somehow appears in my life again!"

Sighing at the unusual but also undeniably sensible request from the blonde, Rachel nodded reluctantly.

"I promise, I don't like it because for once I actually _do _want to hurt someone…but I also acknowledge that what you're saying is sensible, and I promise I wont do anything, okay?"

Smiling softly, Quinn leaned in for another kiss.

"Good! Now…today is done, and through no fault or intent we are a little bit behind, however I think tomorrow's free skate can guarantee us a place on the podium, what do you think princess?"

Leaping up from the bench with a huge grin, the diva tugged on their still joined hands as she literally ran over to the changing area.

"Excellent thinking Gretzky, let's get changed, have some dinner and talk about the things we could embellish or change slightly, now the elements themselves are showy enough but what I was thinking was…"

Quinn smiled happily to herself as Rachel chattered on about what they could do that evening in regards to the way their free skate was planned. At some point Jason, Isaac and Will had returned and set about cleaning up after the women who _had _hung their costumes up, but not well enough for the fastidious costumier. Once the area was cleaned to a satisfactory (or OCD, if you asked Quinn) standard they headed for the exit and the hotel, the blonde trying not to wince too much at the odd twinge in her ankle. She was on the verge of mentioning it to Will, not that she believed it was serious but maybe a little physio could help, when a loud argument at the entrance to the skaters area knocked the question to the back of her mind.

"Listen up _asshole_, I am Quinn Fabray's sister and I happen to know she needs me. I came here when I got the call so _no, _I don't have a goddamn pass, just get someone to ask her and she'll tell you! How is that so difficult for you to comprehend?! Is this why you're stuck guarding a gate in a damn skate rink, because you're too stupid to work as a real cop!"

Wincing in unison, both skaters turned to each other and said the same thing.

"Santana!"

Dropping their kit bags on the floor in their haste to get to the entrance gate, Quinn led the way until she caught the eye of her exasperated sister who must have done literally what she said she had and travelled up as soon as she got the call about the newspaper article. She was dressed in the black slacks, white shirt and tie she wore when working the bar at Frank's, relaxing when she saw Quinn, the Latina gestured irritably at the red faced security guard. Shaking her head slightly, Rachel smiled slightly at Santana before heading over to immediately soothe the guard's ruffled feathers, Quinn headed out of the gate to hug her sister. Slightly taken aback at the open gesture of affection, the Latina habitually froze for a moment before hugging back and whispering in the hockey player's ear.

"How you doing Q bear?"

Realising she had needed the presence of her adopted yet highly protective sister more than she realised, the blonde held on tight as she exhaled shakily.

"Better than I would have been if Rachel hadn't called me on my bullshit."

Grinning at the news that her young protégé was coming along nicely, Santana pulled back far enough to take in Quinn's worn and slightly wary expression. She hated to think just how far the hockey player would have withdrawn into herself if not for Rachel.

"Good, glad to see she's taking my lessons to heart! Now is there anyone I need to punch for you, do we know who the fuck is responsible for that damn bullshit article yet?"

Quinn quietly wondered to herself if her mom's' no swearing policy was getting to the Latina, judging by the surfeit of curse words she would have to say yes! Shaking her head slightly, her jaw dropped open as Rachel lightly cuffed Santana's head before raising an eyebrow.

"Language Miss Lopez!"

To the hockey player's amazement, Santana just snorted in amusement and flipped the brunette off. Rolling her eyes, Rachel linked her arm through Quinn's and led the way towards the hotel.

"And the answer is no, we have no idea who sold that story to the magazine but my dad is chasing down leads now, he loves it when he gets to sue truly nasty individuals!"

Nodding her approval, the Latina swiftly reached across from the other side of Quinn who was in the middle of them both, to bump fist's, the hockey player rolled her eyes.

"Oh boy, the last thing the world needs is for Santana to have a disciple, it only encourages her Rachel!"

Blowing a raspberry at her sister, the Latina chose to ignore the diva's laughter and instead let herself be steered towards the foyer of the hotel so she could check into the room Leroy had booked her as soon as he had heard about the article. Watching Rachel and Santana bantering back and forth it occurred to Quinn that given her past she was in fact, one of the luckiest people on the planet. Not only did she have an amazing foster family but now, with Rachel and her dad's, that family was growing. Seeing the way they were all closing ranks at a threat to one of their own was, well, it was actually incredibly touching, not that she'd admit that out loud! Clearing her throat to get their attention, Quinn gestured with her head towards the lift's where Will was holding one for them. Half an hour later, after Santana had checked in showered and finally changed into some loose jeans and a sweatshirt, she joined the other two who were already changed and lounging on the sofa in their own hotel room. Huffing slightly, the Latina resisted the urge to flop herself down between the couple, instead she slouched comfortably into the easy chair, propping her feet on the table.

"Damn, I gotta have a word with Mr B, your room is _way _better than mine, I only have one easy chair!"

Smiling happily, Rachel shrugged a casual shoulder before leaning further into Quinn who had one arm slung around the diva's shoulder's.

"Well that's because _we're _the stars Santana, while _you're _more like one of the footmen."

Quinn couldn't help snorting a laugh at the outraged look on her sister's face.

"Footman?! Are you shitting me Berry? I'm more like your freaking bodyguard than anything else, here to do the ass kicking while you two look pretty on the ice…the only foot you'll be getting is mine up your ass!"

At that Quinn's chuckle turned to a full-blown belly laugh, Rachel smirked at Santana who subtly winked back at her when the blonde wasn't looking. Once the hockey player had her breath back, she wiped her eyes before asking.

"So, did we make any decisions on what to do for dinner? I know the guys asked us to join them and we can if you want, I know you're loving being more a part of the skating scene Rach."

Shrugging a shoulder as she remembered how Kurt and Puck had issued the invitation that morning, the diva just settled further into Quinn's arms.

"I'm okay just being here with you…and your loudmouth sister of course!"

Poking her tongue out, the Latina leant forward to pluck up the room service menu that was on the coffee table.

"Well then, room service it is, but they better have something decent, I'm starving after that car journey!"

Once meals had been decided on, the biggest burgers available for Santana and Quinn and vegan lasagne for Rachel, they settled down to watch a run of the original Star Trek episodes that the Sci-Fi channel were showing. Santana even managed not to tease Quinn about the fact she could mouth all the lines along with the characters on screen. They were just debating ordering a movie when Rachel's phone went off, glancing at it she almost fell off the sofa in her rush to answer it when she realised it was Leroy.

"Daddy…yes, have you found out who was responsible for the article…hmm, I see. Well what do we do now? Alright, yes…of course."

Smiling, she held the phone out for Quinn, frowning in mild confusion, the blonde accepted it, speaking hesitantly.

"Um…hey Mr B, what's up?"

There was a brief moment of confused silence on Leroy's end of the phone before he spoke.

"I was worried about _you _Quinn, it might come as a bit of a shock to you, but as my prospective daughter-in-law I care for you a great deal. When I found out what idiot printed this story without even bothering to check if it was true, I'll sue them until they can't even afford underpants."

Smiling at the tone in his voice, the hockey player mused.

"Well, depending on who it is maybe you should stop _before _the underpants, there's plenty of people out there that I would rather not see running around in the buff, ya know?"

Leroy broke into his usual booming laugh and even hearing it over the phone brought out an answering grin on Quinn's face.

"Hmm, you have a good point young Fabray! Okay I might leave them some pants but not nice ones, no boxers only briefs! But…seriously, are you doing okay kiddo? Your mom's e mailed me from the hotel they're staying at before the operation and they said to give you their love, they were due in the hospital for pre-op as you were on the ice or they would have rung you themselves."

Warmed by the knowledge that both her moms and apparently Leroy and Hiram were watching her back even from halfway across the country, the blonde felt herself smiling warmly. Glancing at Rachel and Santana who were bickering over the last few fries, she replied honestly.

"You know what Mr B…I _am _actually doing okay, yeah it took me by surprise this morning but, I'm realising that there are worse things than a load of lies in print from a convicted felon."

She could almost see the smile she knew Leroy was sporting.

"You got it kiddo, oh and…look, Rachel told me about who you thought you saw and I know you put it down to your imagination but I wanted to reassure you. A friend of mine has access to every guest database in the area and I can guarantee you that she is most definitely not checked in to any of them."

Her hand had tightened around the phone when he first mentioned her 'sighting' of Laura, but hearing only compassion and concern in his tone, she fought down her natural inclination towards anger and listened. At the news that he had checked guest registries' for her, even though the chances were that it was nothing more her own over active imagination, said more to her than words could and she blinked back happy tears before replying.

"Thanks Mr B, you rock you know? I mean, I know it was just seeing the picture that made me go all wacky Mc'Nut-ball about things…but thanks, for putting my nut ball mind at ease."

Leroy's reply was not just full of warmth but of love, the same love she often heard in his voice when he spoke to her about Rachel.

"Quinn, sweetheart…just as I'd go to the end's of the earth for my own daughter, I would for you too. Only in your case I doubt it would be because you got nutmeg on your latte instead of chocolate!"

The memory of one of Rachel's earlier outbursts regarding a coffee run Quinn had gotten wrong caused the blonde to laugh out loud, something she swiftly smothered when she saw the diva's suspicious look. After reassuring him that they were both okay and looking forward to tomorrow's free skate, she said goodbye and handed the phone back to Rachel so she could do the same. Looking up from the movie list the two brunettes had been looking through, Quinn realised that Santana was watching her with a soft smile.

"Okay Lopez, spill it already, something's going on behind those eyes and I'd rather know about it if it concerns me, no matter how weird it might be!"

Hurling a balled up napkin at the smirking hockey player, Santana just relaxed into her chair with a shrug.

"I just think it's good that's all."

Raising one eyebrow in an impressive arch, Quinn waited for her sister to expand on the comment, snorting in irritation she finally did so.

"The way you are with Rachel, skating, allowing yourself to be happy…the way it's all changed you, it's pretty damn cool Q bear."

Trying to ignore the embarrassed flush she could feel painting her face red from the neck up, the hockey player waved a hand dismissively. Santana however was not going to let it go that easily and said as much.

"Don't _do _that Quinn, don't belittle what I'm saying or how much you've changed. Everyone has noticed you know, it's what they always wanted, mom and ma…for you to be able to trust someone again, to let someone love you and help you realise that not everyone is out to hurt you. Rachel was the start but the rest came from you Quinn, _you're _the one taking back your life from that bitch, _you're _the one in charge of it…and although I hate to say it, I told you that years ago when we first met! You're letting our mom's love you properly now, Hell you're even trusting me rather than punching me and if that's not progress then I don't know what is!"

Winking slightly, the Latina chuckled and ducked the napkin as it was hurled back towards her, after a moment, Quinn spoke.

"Yeah well, if you hadn't always been such a hard ass I wouldn't have been such a jerk…just saying! But…you're right, I mean god knows I wouldn't tell you that if I could help it but you're right. Rachel was the start, she helped me to accept that it was okay to trust, that despite thinking I was letting people into my life I never truly was. And now I'm going to live my life the way I want, I mean hell…the Quinn of two years ago, well, actually even the Quinn of _one _year ago would more than likely have punched someone for suggesting figure skating. But something in me told me to take the chance and…I found something I love, yeah it might be seen as a sissy sport or not the sort of thing I would ever do. Now however I can't see me ever doing anything else, at least not professionally. So as much as it galls me to say it…_yes_, you were right, and thank you, for not giving up on me."

She trailed off with a shrug, glancing over to see where Rachel was, Quinn missed the hasty way Santana swiped at her cheeks to dash away the tears and when she looked back the Latina was her usual composed gruff self.

"Well, what can I say except my stubborn streak can way outlast yours Fabray…and you're welcome. Also, to use your own phrase, which by the way I take it you learned from Rachel, it galls me to say that it was worth the wait."

They allowed the vulnerable moment to last a second more before both abruptly looking away, Rachel came back into the room and giggled as Quinn reached out and pulled her down and into her lap. Pretending to be sickened by the display, Santana couldn't quite hide her genuine smile at how cute the two were together…although even _she _had a limit, and when nuzzling turned to kissing, she cleared her throat pointedly before speaking.

"Okay bitches, what are we going to do this evening huh? The movies are all old and we've seen pretty much the entire list between us! What else is there to do for fun around here, I mean obviously not drinking as you two are athletes and I _cannot _sit through another one of the short round's lectures on why athletes don't drink when competing!"

Mock scowling at her name being taken in vain, Rachel searched for another napkin, sulking when she couldn't find one, it was Quinn that replied.

"It's still early but you're right about the not much to do thing, there's a pool, a sauna and a gym but not much else. There might be a cinema downtown that we could head to?"

Santana mused for a moment then grinned brightly and levelled a finger at both of them.

"I noticed a sports bar two buildings over, they're playing the game tonight, 49'ers taking on the Cowboys…we don't have to drink but it's somewhere other than this room, or my much smaller one, _and _it has bar snacks!"

Given the choice, Quinn would much rather have just spent an hour or so in the sauna and gone to bed, but, Santana had come all the way out here for her, and she did love a good game of football. Glancing sideways, she caught Rachel's very slight nod and moved fluidly to her feet.

"Okay, you're on…I'm going to change into something that _isn't _sweat pants and we'll meet you in the foyer in like, twenty minutes?"

Dashing off to change into her 'hot dancing clothes', Santana waved half heartedly over her shoulder, shaking her head, Rachel pulled Quinn into the bedroom so they could try and at least equal the Latina when it came to looking good. Thirty minutes later Quinn, dressed in black jeans, red converse and a black and red check shirt, walked down the stairs hand in hand with Rachel. The diva was wearing a pair of green slacks with a tan coloured V-neck sweater, but Santana had as usual, applied her own sense of style and had outdone both of them. Both skaters had to laugh as they took in the knee high black suede boots, short leather skirt and white vest top, finished off with a leather biker style jacket and a killer ponytail. Shaking her head, Quinn slugged her sister's shoulder and gestured to several stunned and/or drooling men (and more than a few women) who were tripping over their own feet whilst staring but also trying not to look as though they were.

"Way to not go too over the top there Lopez…now let's get out of here and go see the Niner's kick some serious damn cowboy ass!"

Winking at a guy on the way out who was in his 49'ers top, Santana cheerfully led the way to the sports bar where she ordered the first round of drinks, beer for her and virgin daiquiris for the two skaters. According to the Latina, if they couldn't actually drink then they should at least _look _like they were drinking. After such a terrible start to the day, Quinn was pleasantly surprised at the way it was turning out, her sister had literally ridden in to stand by her when she had needed it, she had a beautiful, amazing woman at her side who made her feel complete, and the Cowboys were being trounced by the Niner's. She honestly couldn't see a single thing that could go wrong right now…which of course was the time when things inevitably _do _go wrong. By the time the game finished, Santana had a pleasant beer buzz going on and Quinn was full of pretzels, boiled peanuts and some blue soda the bartender had mixed for her. Rachel was just full of happiness at seeing Quinn relaxed with Santana, a situation that rapidly changed as they entered the hotel lobby.

Jesse was there, obviously having just come back from the hotel's restaurant, he was leaning on the concierge's desk waiting for something. Beside him was the tall blonde woman who had been with him earlier that day, and unless Quinn was mistaken she was wearing a _dress _track suit in black and silver? Nudging Rachel, the hockey player murmured under her breath.

"Am I losing it or is that woman wearing a _formal _track suit…and if so, how is that even possible?"

Glancing up, the diva inhaled sharply before muttering something under her breath that in any other person the blonde could swear was a curse word. Frowning slightly, she saw Rachel quickly firing off a text and stopped her walking with a hand on the arm. When she finally got Rachel to meet her gaze, she raised both hands in a silent question, blowing out a breath and abruptly tugging the hockey player and the befuddled Santana behind a nearby pillar, she spoke in a rapid fire whisper.

"This is going to sound very, very _odd_, but give me a chance to try and explain just how insane that woman is!"

Having never heard Rachel sound quite this nervous about anything before, Quinn just nodded. Santana leaned out to try and get a look at what, or who exactly, the two skaters were talking about. Spotting the blonde woman, she raised her eyebrow but had no time to actually _say _anything before a panicking Rachel pulled her back behind the pillar.

"Just shush or she'll _hear _you! And she's all of the different kinds of insane you can think of, topped off with a few new ones that even today's top mental health professional's can't diagnose!"

Taking a very discreet look at the tall blonde, Quinn couldn't see what exactly was so scary about the woman…weird yeah, I mean who the hell in the world wears a tracksuit to dinner! Glancing back at Rachel's clearly distressed expression however, she realised that there was something very definitely off with the situation. Seconds later, Will almost flew out of the elevator in answer to Rachel's text, and had to stumble to right himself, not fast enough however to avoid the eagle eyed gaze of the tall blonde. Smirking in an incredibly cruel way, she sauntered towards the coach who looked as though he would rather be in line for a colonoscopy than taking part in the conversation he was about to.

"Well, well William, I see you're still managing to cling onto your coach's job by your fingernails, but seriously…two girls? Are you practicing for when the only job you can get is skating duet with your butterball friend at the Icecapades?"

Smiling thinly, Will drew himself up to his full height, crossing his arms before replying.

"People can underestimate my skaters as much as they like, but when _they _are the ones winning the awards and setting the standards, you're going to be the one that looks pathetic Sue, not me."

Chuckling lightly, Sue shook her head and walked around Will in a circle that was meant to intimidate him. As this was far from the guy's first encounter with her however, he just waited patiently.

"Really…it certainly didn't take much to throw your so called superstar's off their game this morning did it? I mean if you're going to spend time in the limelight then you have to get used to the press, both bad and good. Although if I recall correctly, bad press always throws your skaters off doesn't it. Last time it was Berry and her little dalliance with my boy Jesse here, she did the same thing didn't she, took a tumble when the story broke?"

Gritting his teeth with the effort it was taking to stay calm in the face of the woman's arrogance, Will was formulating a reply when a familiar voice interrupted, one that he was both relieved _and _terrified to hear as he had no idea what might happen next.

"Who the hell is this witch Will? And why is she bothering you…lost her broom?"

Turning round, both he and Sue took in the sight of a pissed off Latina and his somewhat more reticent skaters who were hand in hand behind her. Raising an eyebrow, Sue smirked as she took in the trio standing before her.

"And _there _are the little sideshow act, I see you're still slacking off Berry…I didn't think you could sink any lower after you defected to Schuester as a coach…but skating with a convicted felon?"

Tutting, she shook her head in a mockingly mournful way, Quinn turned from glaring at the woman she now knew was called Sue Sylvester (thanks to Rachel's hurried explanation that she used to be her coach), to realise that the diva was actually shaking with fear. Ignoring Sue for now, and trusting that Santana had their back, she turned to the little skater.

"Hey, it's okay…like you said, she _used _to be your coach, she isn't now and she can't do anything to hurt you, especially not with me and Santana around."

Half smiling, the diva squeezed the hand in hers and muttered so low only Quinn could hear.

"I know…just, do you remember that promise you made me make about not punching _that _woman? I want you to make me the same promise regarding Sue, because just like Jesse, she will try and push you into doing something stupid."

Nodding solemnly, the hockey player held her hand up in the boy scouts' salute.

"You got it!"

At the wink and half smile, Rachel giggled, which _definitely _attracted the attention of one Sue Sylvester.

"I'm glad you two can still find the time to laugh…given your incredible lack of attention to what you were doing on the ice this morning. Maybe you should be thanking whoever it was that leaked that story to the papers, if you're not able to cope with the stress that having your name in print brings then perhaps you should head back to your little slice of lesbian heaven. As for _you _Berry, despite your very, _very _many foul up's, I could still partner you and Jesse up and salvage your career…_if _you're willing to put the effort in."

Squaring her shoulders, and with her hand tightly keeping hold of the hockey player's, Rachel spoke up for the first time since coming face to face with Sue after so many years.

"I'm more than happy with both the coach and the skating partner I have…plus there is no way on this green earth or any other that I would willingly suffer through your instability!"

Sue's eyes flashed angrily and she made a move, nothing overt but it still caused Rachel to take a hasty step back. Pulling the diva closer to her side, Quinn moved slightly in front of her and assumed her old Quinn attitude.

"You heard her Sylvester, Will is a better coach than you will ever be and we're both quite happy with him."

Directing a glare at the hockey player, Sue spoke to Will.

"Then you better damn well give your skaters a pep talk about developing a proper shell with which to shrug off bad press, because something tells me today's little newsflash won't be the last when it comes to the little criminal here."

Gesturing with her chin towards Quinn, Sue smirked, the hockey player found herself chanting her promise to not punch Sue over and over in her head because right at that moment it was the only thing she could think about doing…which is why she missed what Sue was hinting at, Santana however did not.

"_You_! You're the one that organised for the papers to print that story aren't you? Why the Hell would you do that, do you have so little faith in your own skaters that this is the sort of shit you have to resort to?!"

Crossing her arms and smiling thinly, the blonde woman leaned forward and down so she was right in the Latina's face.

"When you're fighting a war, you use every advantage you have, you go for the opposing forces' weakness, and in this case your convict friend there is a huge weakness to Rachel and her chances of a medal."

Rachel bristled angrily at that but before she could even think of the best way to politely tell Sue that she was talking out of her ass, Santana stepped in.

Santana was angry, Santana was Quinn's sister and was beginning to think of Rachel as her second sister…and Santana had also not been trapped into promising not to throw a punch.

The next thing anyone was aware of was Sue hitting the floor with a loud thud and Santana swearing and shaking her fist out. This was followed by a deathly silence filling the foyer of the hotel, and lastly but most certainly not least, came the sound of several camera shutters firing off to break up that silence. Will sighed in resignation…it was a safe bet that one, if not both, of his skaters would be front page news tomorrow as well!


	23. (sort-of) Author's Note

Hi everyone!

Sorry to disappoint but this isn't our beloved GR although it's a message on her behalf. I'm her beta actually and no worries she's still alive, just that real life has been a real arse to her lately.

She wanted me to let you all know that she's still writing (I promise she is!) and that she'll update all her stories by the end of the month latest :)

She really does feel bad about the wait and rest assured she's not the type of author to leave all of you hanging. Hope you all understand and will continue to stick around!

Cheers,

tiggerbounced


	24. Chapter 24

_So…yeah, I know it's kinda late, as in really, really late but, well there's a long story and a shoirt one. The short one isn't very pleasant and sucks so I'll go for the long made up one instead. I fell down a hole and ended up in a secret world where rabbits were evil carnivores and I had to team up with a bunch of mutated carrots and lead a revolution…trust me, as odd as it sounds it's a nicer story than the boring depressing truth! Seriously though if you are still with me and still reading I appreciate it more than you can know and will try not to leave it so long next time, feel free to lambast me for my tardiness…I might even enjoy it ;) xxx_

For a split second, which felt like an eternity to Rachel and Quinn, the entire lobby was quiet enough to hear a pin drop, until the first camera shutter went off. Will quickly bent to offer a hand to Sue, while he might not _like _the woman even he wouldn't have punched her in the face, Santana however was a law unto herself. Glancing surreptitiously off to the side, he saw that Quinn had taken her sister to one side and was whispering fiercely into one ear, swallowing down the panic at what this little altercation might mean for his skaters, he turned back to Sue. Surprisingly, she had accepted his hand up and was now standing upright as though nothing had happened. Unsure of exactly what was going to happen next or what she was going to say, Will started sputtering out an apology, just behind him the manager of the hotel came bustling up, wringing his hands nervously.

"Miss Sylvester I am _truly_ sorry, I shall have these guests evicted immediately!"

Will sighed internally but turned to appeal to the hotel manager anyway, which was when the most unexpected of saviors came to his rescue…Sue herself.

"That won't be necessary Philip, it was just a misunderstanding that's all!"

Everyone looked at her in mild disbelief, except Santana, who looked equal parts confused and pissed off. Holding her hands up to calm the already gossiping crowd, the tall blonde coach spoke to the manager, in a tone loud enough to be heard by everyone.

"I slipped and she moved forward to help me, unfortunately her aim was off and I fell a little faster than she expected…really, that's all there is to it. Thank you for your concern but there's no need for it, now stop fussing and go see to your other guests who I am sure have better things to do than stand around and watch a silly accident."

It would almost have been a jovial dismissal if not for the ice cold stare and smile that looked more menacing than comforting, whatever it was it effectively dispersed the crowd until only the skaters and their coaches were left…even Santana had stomped away up to her room. Quinn would rather poke her own eye out with a rusty spoon than express gratitude to someone who obviously terrified Rachel…but for whatever reason Sue had saved her sister's ass. So clearing her throat, she edged in front of Will and Rachel with a reluctant nod.

"I'm not sure _why _you handled that the way you did but, um…thanks."

Smiling icily, Sue just appraised her in a way that made her skin crawl, behind her Rachel growled faintly.

"I didn't do it for you Fabray, I just want to beat you guys out on the ice with an audience that matters, not a bunch of rubberneckers and paparazzi."

Will's frown of concern melted into a disappointed grimace, Quinn felt Rachel sag against her back, smirking slightly however, the hockey player merely shrugged a shoulder.

"Well then, I'm sorry you're going to be disappointed when that doesn't happen."

Will opened his mouth to speak but found himself abruptly closing it when Sue's hand shot up to silence him without even glancing in his direction. Whatever this battle of wits was about, it was now between Sue and Quinn. Sue actually laughed before shaking her head lightly.

"I actually like you kid, you're not afraid to get down and dirty if you have to, but to beat me you'd have to go to a whole other level of cunning."

Before giving the hockey player a chance to answer, she snapped her fingers and walked off, Jesse following along after her like an obedient puppy. Blowing out a breath, Quinn turned to Will, running a hand distractedly through her hair the blonde muttered.

"Sorry about Santana, sometimes she just…well, she doesn't like people messing with her family. If she hadn't had a skin full she wouldn't have done that."

Laying a hand gently on her shoulder, Will just smiled faintly.

"Don't apologize for other people's actions kiddo, you didn't do anything wrong and to be honest I wanted to smack her one myself. Luckily for us, Sue didn't want to appear weak and a drunk girl getting the drop on her would have definitely counted as weak…but let's try not to do anything like that again huh? I'm too young to die of a heart attack!"

Smiling slightly Quinn nodded, an arm slid around her waist and looking to her left she saw Rachel, no longer half hidden behind her now that Sue had left.

"Hey princess, you okay?"

Speaking softly, she kissed the crown of Rachel's head, sensing he was inadvertently intruding now, Will said his goodnights and headed off. Sighing slightly and not caring at all that several reporters were still snapping pictures of them, the brunette shook her head slightly but lay a finger on Quinn's mouth when she went to speak.

"Let's go upstairs and talk, huh Gretzky?"

Glancing around, the hockey player remembered where they were and flushing slightly nodded her assent, Rachel was quiet for the elevator ride up to their floor, just holding Quinn close to her. Once they were inside their room and settled down onto the sofa together she drew breath to speak…but what she said made no sense to Quinn at all.

"I'm sorry."

Frowning and wondering if she'd missed something, Quinn turned to look at the indeed sorrowful looking diva curled up against her.

"Okay…at the risk of sounding like I'm stupid, I have to confess I don't actually _know _what you're apologizing for?"

Turning to look up into Quinn's confused hazel eyes, Rachel wondered yet again how someone who had been through so much could be so forgiving, especially after what Rachel had just unknowingly subjected her to.

"That news article was written because Sue rang the reporters and told them about you…something she wouldn't have done if _I_ hadn't sacked her as a coach. She told me if I ever got another coach she would make sure I regretted it and I, well I never told you about her, about what she had said…what she was cCapable of."

Shifting in her seat until she could see Rachel properly, Quinn reached out and stroked her cheek gently, wiping away the few tears that had fallen.

"Hold up there Rach…I was unaware that you had taken on responsibility for the entire world, because unless I'm mistaken _you _aren't responsible for Sue Sylvester's actions, any more than _I'm _responsible for my father's."

Unable to refute the logic of the argument, but equally as unable to dismiss her own feelings of guilt so easily, Rachel tried to explain.

"I know but…I had heard rumors that Sue was Jessie's new coach and instead of talking about it, letting you know what it might mean, I tried to forget about it because I was scared. Because of that you had that awful story written about you, maybe if I _had_ told you then you would have been prepared for it, it wouldn't have shaken you as much as it did!"

"You know what they say about ifs and buts princess, butand even if you _had_ told me, it wouldn't have changed that article. The article itself wasn't the problem anyway…it was that picture, and seeing that _woman _is always gonna be a kick in the metaphorical nuts, no matter how prepared I think I am."

Seeing that Rachel's brown eyes were still clouded with doubt, Quinn smiled softly and ducking her head down, kissed her softly.

"Hey, _I _don't think you have anything to apologize for, but I get that _you_ feel you do so I forgive you, admittedly I'm forgiving you for being a pig- headed idiot rather than for doing anything wrong but…"

Trailing off she shrugged a shoulder nonchalantly, to her relief the approach worked, and giggling softly, Rachel slapped at her knee.

"Hey, when it comes to forgiveness for that particular offence you're the one that's usually on the receiving end, not me!"

Smirking, Quinn cracked her knuckles triumphantly.

"I know…it's good to be the benevolent one for a change."

The last of the tension broke with Rachel's musical laughter and relaxing finally, she settled into Quinn's arms with a contented sigh.

"You're just lucky you're cute Gretzky."

Frowning exaggeratedly, the hockey player shook her head.

"That almost sounds likes grounds for sexual harassment Rachel Berry, ranking your skating partner _not_ for her skill but her cuteness."

Raising a playful eyebrow, the diva muttered.

"Which one would you rather have ranked higher, smartass?"

Mock scowling, Quinn slouched lower in her seat.

"Totally unfair question, objection, your honor!"

Smirking happily, Rachel shook her head and moved so she was straddling the hockey player.

"Objection over ruled, the question is judged fair as the court is well aware the defendant is entirely too cute _and _vastly talented."

Smiling wondrously up at her princess, Quinn mustered a dramatic sigh.

"I fear I must plead guilty then your honor, what is my sentence to be?"

Pursing her lips in thought, Rachel looked upwards contemplatively for a long moment. Face breaking into a huge grin she looked downward and the mischievous glint in her eye caused Quinn to swallow reflexively.

"Hmm, I would say…a romantic film of my choice with at least fifteen minutes of snuggling, _with _shoulder rubs, _and _intermediate making out."

Pretending to wince, the hockey player shook her head in resignation.

"I guess that's just the price I pay for being so damn cute huh?"

Nodding happily, Rachel snagged the remote from the arm of the sofa and flopped down next to the hockey player.

"Don't forget talented, wiseass."

Nodding agreement, Quinn sank even further into the sofa and moved to kick off her Cconverses with a wince, her ankle was definitely giving the odd twinge now, but looking at it would only worry Rachel and it wasn't exactly swollen, she'd just keep an eye on it. In the end they ended up watching D.E.B.S. which Quinn secretly loved. The next morning they woke without the aid of an alarm, Rachel because she _always_ woke early, Quinn because Rachel waking up involved her stretching. Stretching was an everyday part of waking up the world round, as such, it hardly _ever_ ended in pain, apart from that particular morning. The diva's feet which were wound around Quinn's, moved away when she stretched and in doing so brushed against what was now an extremely swollen ankle, the result being the hockey player sitting up swearing.

"Fuck that hurts!"

Scrambling into an upright position, Rachel blinked the last of the sleep from her eyes in concern.

"Quinn, what happened? All I did was stretch!"

Wincing with a horrible feeling of foreboding, the hockey player whipped the duvet off and groaned when she saw the state of the ankle she'd landed awkwardly on.

"Damn it, it was _fine _last night…just the odd twinge, but…I didn't think it was anything serious, I swear!"

Unable to quell the sympathetic grimace, Rachel reached out but then stopped herself from touching it, it looked like a sprain but she was hardly a physiotherapist and _definitely_ not a doctor.

"Don't move okay, I'm gonna go get Will…stay off your feet till he gets a proper look at it."

Nodding in agreement, Quinn settled back down in bed and couldn't help a half smile, it had been a while since she had heard Rachel's diva in charge voice…and a part of her had missed it. The smile quickly disappeared when she glanced at her swollen ankle, the least disastrous scenario was that they had to quickly alter their free skate routine to take into account the damage. The worst case scenario was that they would have to withdraw from the competition which would seriously damage their chances at Nationals and Olympic selection. Scowling heavily, Quinn thumped a fisted hand onto the mattress,mattress; suddenly she was _not _at all sorry that Santana had punched Sylvester last night. As if the thought alone had summoned her, the Latina knocked on the door and poked before poking her head around it.

"Wakey-wakey dork, hey…where'd short round get to?"

Grunting slightly, Quinn just gestured down at her ankle in frustration.

"That _stupid_ mistake on the ice yesterday cost me more than I thought it would, including, but not limited to, the possibility of having to withdraw from this competition."

Half smiling, Santana perched on the edge of the bed and tilted her head to the side thoughtfully.

"Soooo, does that mean me thumping her was a good thing then?"

Grinning slightly at the tone in her sister's voice, Quinn shook her head slightly and giggled, reminded of many of their less than reputable exploits as teenagers.

"Well, let's just say the _official _line is that you shouldn't punch someone."

Concentrating on what _wasn't _said, rather than what was, the Latina grinned.

"And unofficially?"

Laughing softly, Quinn adjusted her position until she was sat upright.

"Let's just say, the unofficial line is that you shouldn't punch someone…with witnesses present."

Holding out a fist to bump, the hockey player grinned when Santana promptly did so with a drawl.

"That's what I'm talking about Q!"

Further conversation was prevented by the _literal_ eruption into the room of Rachel, still dressed in her pajamas, and Will, half dressed, confused and carrying his physio supplies. Intercepting the befuddled coach, Santana sat him down, speaking rapidly.

"Okay small fry, judging from Will's expression he has _no_ idea what is going on. So calm down and take a seat. Q bear, _you_ better tell him."

Nodding and gesturing for her sister to sort out some coffee for Rachel, in the hopes of calming her down, Quinn swung her legs off the bed towards Will.

"So, that landing might have messed my ankle up a bit more than I figured it would, last night it felt fine, I mean there was the odd twinge in the shower and when I went to sleep but that was it."

Quinn hadn't even finished speaking and Will had her foot in his hands, examining it and the ankle intently. As soon as he touched the area above the ankle bone, the hockey player flinched and swore under her breath, Will's frown grew deeper and he hummed in the back of his throat.

"Crap…this is bad isn't it?"

Running both hands through her hair in a gesture, which Santana at least knew indicated inner turmoil, Quinn blew out and frustrated breath. Will looked up with a grave expression that made both Rachel and Quinn's stomachs sink to their feet.

"You could _maybe _skate on it but it could be risky, very risky…I wouldn't like to say how bad the sprain is without getting you to a dDoctor's. You can move it so there's definitely no break. I'd say it's a low ankle sprain, if you rest between now and this afternoon and strap it tight…you could skate. But I'm only guessing that's what it is and you'd be taking a chance."

Chewing her lip hard in concentration Quinn glanced to Rachel who shook her head minutely, raising a questioning eyebrow at the action, Rachel sighed before explaining her rationale.

"Gretzky if it's something more serious than that, you could cause long term damage by skating on it! If we had time to get you to a doctor then maybe I'd say yes, but even if we _get _to the hospital, by the time you've been seen the competition will have started, it's just too risky."

Releasing her lip from the grinding action of her teeth, the hockey player sighed.

"And if I don't then we lose this competition and seriously jeopardize the chances of an invitation to the National's…we've worked _so_ hard for this."

Unable to refute that claim, Rachel merely frowned before muttering grumpily.

"I know…I just don't think that you risking a serious sprain or some kind of muscle or tendon tear is wise when we could simply wait a bit longer."

Smiling sadly, Quinn examined the ankle.

"It won't be a _bit _longer though will it? It will be at least four years before the next winter Olympics."

Taking a deep breath, the blonde looked from her obviously worried skating partner to her thoughtful looking coach. In the periphery she saw Santana watching her, half smiling as she already _knew_ what Quinn was going to say.

"I want to take the chance…I want to skate this afternoon."

Rachel looked torn, the competitive side of her wanted to be out on the ice, to show Jesse that despite all his and Sue's best intentions they couldn't beat them with dirty tricks. The side of her that was Quinn's girlfriend however wanted to slap the competitive side of her until it shut the hell up and coddle the hockey player until she was beyond healed. What neither of these Rachel''s had taken into account however, was that Quinn was her own woman and more stubborn than a dozen particularly bad tempered mules. Realizing that trying to force the hockey player into a decision went against everything she had been telling her so far, the diva sat back and nodded slightly.

"Quinn, you know better than I what you feel up to doing…just be sure you're making the decision for you and no one else, kay?"

Smirking slightly, Quinn shrugged her shoulders.

"I am, I'm making the decision for me, because I've had a lot of sports injuries and this one doesn't feel as bad as the ones that have laid me up. Because I want to be out on the ice this afternoon and because even if we _can't_ win this I'm going to make damn sure I play my part well enough to get us on the podium. Even if we come in third place we'll have enough of a point total to get an invite, and being invited as an outsider is better than no invite at all right?"

Rachel's smile grew slightly at the playful yet competitive tone in Quinn's voice, her decision seemingly already made;, Santana shook her head slightly and clapped Rachel on the shoulder.

"Well short round, if I were you I'd give up…when Q bear gets that look on her face it means there's no talking her out of something. It can sometimes be confused for constipation if you don't know her, but trust me, it just means she's made her mind up."

At that Rachel snorted a giggle, Quinn grabbed up one of the discarded pillows on the bed and hurled it at her wickedly cackling sister. Will cleared his throat and stood up gaining everyone's attention.

"Okay, _you_ don't move a muscle, between now and the competition you are a statue! Rachel, pile up some of the cushions from the sofa under her foot please, it needs to be elevated. I'm going to grab some ice and hopefully some napkins…Santana, make sure Quinn does what she's told!"

He abruptly disappeared, grinning to himself as he heard the hockey player trying to sputter out that she didn't need _anyone _to guard her, least of all Santana! Ten minutes later the room had been organized so Quinn was laid out on the bed, her foot elevated with the aid of several cushions just as Will had dictated. Rachel had showered and dressed before having a quick tidy round and making sure the hockey player had the remote control and a cup of tea handy. Santana was busy ordering room service for them all when Will returned, laden down with an ice bucket and several cloth napkins, all this fuss was a little bewildering to Quinn who was more used to the beer, nacho's and easy chair approach to healing her various sports injuries. Rachel came to sit down next to her while Will took up position at the end of the bed next to the damaged ankle, Quinn's attention was swiftly distracted from the injury when the diva kissed her cheek. Smiling gently, the hockey player laced her fingers through Rachel's.

"What was that for princess?"

Smiling a bright cheery smile that would have fooled most people, the diva shrugged a shoulder over casually.

"What makes you think I need a reason to come and snuggle my attractive girlfriend hmm?"

Raising one blonde eyebrow in an awe- inspiring arch of disbelief, Quinn simply waited, it didn't take long before Rachel sighed.

"Okay, maybe I'm also here because I know how much this is going to hurt."

The arched eyebrow rose even higher, this time in alarm as she swung round to glance at Will, nodding grimly the coach unwrapped the Coban bandage from its wrapper.

"Unfortunately she's not wrong Quinn, I've got some anti-inflammatory painkillers for you to take after I've wrapped your ankle, just try not to move too much whilst I'm doing it…no matter how much it hurts."

Sighing in resignatioresignation,n Quinn tightened her grip on Rachel's, nodding her assent for him to continue. Seconds later, she gasped in pain as Will started to wrap the ankle tightly.

"Son of a…you weren't kidding were you princess!"

Shaking her head sadly, Rachel lifted Quinn's white knuckles to her lips, kissing them softly.

"Nope, wish I had been for your sake but that kind of sprain is a real tricky customer to treat, the painkillers will help though."

Gritting her teeth, the hockey player just nodded her agreement trying not to move, or even breathe too much while Will continued to wrap the compression bandage tightly. Eventually he was done, and fashioning an ice pack from the cubes and napkins, lay it across the protesting ankle. Relieved that the bandage was finally on, Quinn slumped back in the bed, when Will handed her the two naproxen tablet's, she almost snatched them, swallowing them down eagerly with a mouthful of lukewarm tea. Leaning down the diva kissed her lips, smiling fondly at the usual morning aftertaste on the hockey player's lips, a mix of tea and toothpaste.

"I'm going to make sure we have everything ready so it cuts down on the time it will take to get down to the rink, and don't worry, I'll make sure everything is in your bag…including the lucky socks, though how anything that shade of orange can be lucky is beyond me!"

Rolling her eyes at the good- natured complaining, the hockey player just relaxed into the cushions, trying her best to concentrate on the repeat of Law & Order she was watching rather than the pain. After a little too much back and forth for Quinn's liking, it was finally decided that in order to limit the time the hockey player would have to be on the sensitive ankle, they would have their costumes and makeup done in the hotel room. A quarter to eleven, an overly cheerful knock on the door heralded the arrival of Jason and Isaac, the former with his make-up kit in one hand and a sleepy Brad in the other. Quinn immediately perked up, grinning and holding her arms out for little Chihuahua.

"Come on, hand him over, I'm missing Mario like mad and I need my pup snuggles!"

This was nothing new to Rachel, Will, Jason or Isaac…Santana however looked up from the copy of _The Bone Collector_ she was reading and smirked.

"Whoa, did you just say what I _think_ you just said Fabray…_pup snuggles_?"

Flushing a bright red with embarrassment at letting that slip out with her acerbic sister around, the hockey player glared warningly at her. It was Rachel however who spoke first, impressively she even managed to convey a faintly threatening tone.

"Behave yourself Santana Lopez! No teasing my skating partner this close to going out on the ice."

Snorting slightly the Latina rolled her eyes before aiming them back down towards her book with a mutter.

"Fine…I can wait until _after_ the competition to rip it out of her, can't I Q- bear?"

Looking up from where she was scratching Brad's belly, Quinn raised a cool eyebrow, intending to issue either a withering retort or suitably gruesome threat. Instead, Rachel yet again got there first, and while her threat wasn't bloody _or _gruesome…it was more effective than any disemboweling based suggestion the hockey player might have come up with.

"You will not tease Quinn for showing her sensitive side Santana or I will phone your mother's and tell them you punched someone last night…in full view of reporters."

As hard as the Latina liked to think she was, the threat of her what her mother's would think if they knew about her little faux pas caused her to pale slightly, scowling, she grumbled out a reply from between gritted teeth.

"Fine! I'll keep my yap shut about the sappiness of pup snuggles."

Narrowing her eyes, Quinn looked back down at Brad who had begun whining for attention, smiling again she resumed scratching his belly and surreptitiously sneaking peeks at where Jason was fussing over Rachel's hair. Catching the diva's eye in the mirror she winked, blushing slightly Rachel smiled, inclining her head in acknowledgment of the silent thank you. Jason promptly gave a tut of indignation, pushing Rachel's head gently but firmly into the correct position again, Quinn's giggle of amusement was swiftly cut off by Isaac clearing his throat.

"Don't act so smug Quinn, time for you to get suited up and you know how fussy I am when trying a new type of costume, and this is _definitely_ a new type costume!"

Groaning wearily, Quinn stood and was pleasantly surprised that although it hurt, it wasn't a pain she couldn't cope with. Isaac handed her the first half of the costume, which was definitely a lot more Lycra than her previous ones, in fact if it hadn't been for the sculpted abdominals of the suit she would have protested. The first part required little help, the second part however, included a lot of positioning, repositioning and finally a little more positioning! For once, Rachel's make-up and hair were finished before Quinn's costume fitting was, As they passed each other on their way to their respective costumier and make-up artist, the diva reached out to toy with the collar of Quinn's blue and white checked shirt.

"I'm glad we went for the TV version as opposed to the movies, and although it's apparently _very_ stereotypical of me to admit to it, I find you extremely hot when you wear check shirts."

Flushing ever so slightly red, the hockey player ducked her head before peeking out from between her blonde bangs.

"Flattery, stereotypical or not, will get you everywhere you want Miss Berry!"

Winking in a particularly lascivious manner, the diva reached up to place a kiss on Quinn's cheek, she didn't get to however as Jason's outraged squawk caused them to jump apart. Startled.

"Rachel Berry! If you mess up that flawless make up I have just spent the better part of an hour applying, I shall _not_ be held responsible for my actions."

Stepping abruptly back, the diva held her hands up guiltily…Quinn however was far from cowed and with a cheeky grin leaned forward and kissed Rachel's cheek. Seconds later Jason had her sat in the chair of the vanity, glaring at her in the mirror with his arms crossed. After a moments silence, Quinn decided to try for an innocent look, batting her eyelashes she looked at the peeved make-up artist.

"What? I hadn't had _my_ make-up done yet and to be honest it's your fault! I I've told you about this before, I mean, if you hadn't made her look so damn…delectable, then I would have been able to control myself."

Finishing with another cheeky grin, she wasn't surprised when Jason's scowl melted into a smirk as well. Swiping at the back of her head lightly, he muttered under his breath.

"You get a free pass on this one Fabray, but don't push it! Now let's see what you look like with black hair shall we?"

Resigning herself to the next hour or so, the hockey player just settled back and thought about the revised skate that Rachel, she and Will had worked on throughout the day. It wasn't drastically different from what they had planned originally but it cut out a few of the more difficult moves that could overly tax Quinn's ankle. Twenty minutes before their allotted time on the ice, Quinn and Rachel made their way over to the rink, their own little entourage in tow. It was worth it to see the shocked looks on Jesse and Sue's faces, obviously, as they hadn't seen them all morning, they had come to the assumption that for whatever reason they had pulled out of the competition. Unable to resist the temptation, Quinn winked with a cheery wave as they took up their position on the bench. Puck was finishing off a fast paced routine to Footloose with his equally energetic partner;, Quinn and Rachel cheered enthusiastically as they slid into their finishing position. Grinning widely, he spotted the two of them and waved back, Will was lacing Quinn's skates for her and making sure both parts of the costume were in place. As Puck and his partner skated over to their bench, Quinn blew out a nervous breath before looking across at Rachel. The diva smiled softly and lacing her hands through the hockey player's, leaned sideways enough to whisper.

"Last chance to back out Gretzky…?"

Feeling oddly comforted despite their simplified routine, the hockey player leaned sideways also, until her lips were brushing the shell of Rachel's ear.

"Not a _chance _princess!"

Nodding happily, they stood in unison and at the gesture from the rink official, skated out onto the ice, taking up their starting positions to the heartening cheers of their fans. Moments later, the starting refrain from a well-known movie franchise started up, as one they kicked off skating in unison, hands linked behind their backs and movements casual to give the appearance of friends out for a walk. The main part of the theme tune kicked in suddenly, and they moved apart from each other as though pushed by an explosion, moving into matching sit spins. As Rachel moved out of hers, she draped herself elegantly over the ice as though dazed, Quinn however stopped her spin abruptly, one toe pick pointed downwards, the other skate flat on the ice, arms straight at her sides with the hands fisted. As the next crescendo continued to rise, her head lifted from its previous position looking downwards, as the music snapped into the far livelier tempo, her head finally snapped fully upright. Her fisted hands lifted, one going to the simple black framed glasses she wore as part of the costume, the other for her shirt front. In one simultaneous movement she pulled both hands, the former hurling the glasses into the crowd who cheered, the second, stripping off the thin layer that composed the first part of the costume with one simple gesture. Tossing it backwards towards the bench where Will was waiting, Quinn literally skated off in what looked like one flowing movement, the now free cape fluttering behind her. At the bench Santana grinned and shook her head in mild disbelief.

"If you _ever_ tell her I said this, I'll transplant your balls to your throat but…Quinn makes quite a dashing Superman."

Obviously not concerned about the imminent relocation of his testicles, Will chuckled before squeezing the Latina's shoulder lightly.

"She'll be pleased to hear that I'm sure…now shush and watch the show."

Wanting, but unable to argue her point due to being enthralled by the routine in front of her, Santana just grunted vaguely. Quinn skated swiftly over to Rachel who was stirring from her posed look of unconsciousness, reaching down one hand, the hockey player took hold of Rachel's and in one deceptively easy move skated backwards while the diva rose to her feet. Sweeping elegantly around Rachel with their hands still clasped together, Quinn took off across the ice, gaining speed with Rachel trailing along behind her. Abruptly the hockey player leaned forwards her hand trailing behind her, gradually losing its grip on Rachel's as was the intention, extending one leg behind her in a straight pose Quinn held herself up with her undamaged one gradually bending until she was close to the ice.

Rachel, at that point, lay herself over the hockey player's back, one arm wrapped around Quinn's waist the other extending until she could lace her fingers through the hockey player's outstretched one. The crowd loved that move and the skaters unknowingly mirrored each other's small smile as they did one circuit of the rink, Quinn lifting them up and then bringing them down in an undulating pattern on the one leg. Although they couldn't go for a triple or quadruple axle for fear of Quinn's ankle buckling completely, they did manage two sets of side- by- side double axels. In fact, the hockey player surprised herself that despite the pain she was still enjoying herself so much that the end move seemed to come out of nowhere.

Despite the lack of fancy tricks or energetic lifts, the crowd still cheered them off the ice enthusiastically, and when the scores rolled in they were delighted to realize they _were_ in fact going to end up on the podium…in third place maybe, but it was the podium nonetheless. Will hugged them both enthusiastically and even Santana managed to look truly pleased, without even a hint of a grimace or a trace of cynicism. They took some satisfaction in the fact that Puck's fast paced Ffootloose routine had edged Jesse into second place. Despite the latter's smug grin at finishing a position above them, Rachel and Quinn smiled brightly, waving to the crowd as their third place medals and trophy were presented.

Sue was there as they skated off the ice, smirking happily and clapping her boy Jesse on the back, turning to Will, she assumed a mockingly sympathetic look.

"So sorry my boy knocked your skaters into last place William."

Before he could even formulate a reply, the tall blonde turned to regard Quinn and Rachel who were just skating their way over, still grinning happily.

"So, you had a change of heart yet Berry, I mean today _proved _that Jesse has what your current 'partner' and I use the term loosely, most definitely doesn't have. Talent, he has the raw talent and the focus, one distraction and Fabray here only just managed to limp into third place!"

It was Quinn however that moved forward with a weary shake of her head, hoping to get there before Santana, whom she could see making her way through the dispersing crowd.

"Listen up Sylvester, I have no idea why you can't seem to register the word no, I mean it's obvious you're a few dumb bells short of the full gym so let me clarify for you. _We _are happy as a partnership and even happier with the coach we have, you can ask until you're blue in the face but the answer isn't going to change…okay?"

Smiling thinly, Sue crossed her arms looking Quinn up and down in that disturbingly appraising way of hers.

"So _you_ say, but Berry didn't exactly jump to refuse me now did she? How about you let her speak for herself…or are you scared of the answer?"

Throwing her hands up in dismissal, Quinn turned her back, she knew there was no way of getting Sue to see the truth and Rachel was so uncomfortable around the tall woman, she would never ask the diva to confront her. What she hadn't expected was the fact that Rachel's indignation had finally overcome her fear of the borderline insane coach. Pushing her way past Will until she was in front of Sue, Rachel propped her hands on her hips and jutted her chin out determinedly.

"Oh I'll give you my answer Coach Sylvester, both about your obsessive quest to pair me with that empty- headed idiot St. James and your assertion that today's position was due to some fault on Quinn's part!"

The hockey player looked at Rachel with a mixture of awe, respect and overwhelming love, seeing the smile on her partner's face, Rachel felt twice as courageous, and with a flick of her hair, she mustered her own icy smile and continued.

"Firstly, Quinn is right, I am _more_ than happy with her as my partner and Will as my coach, and were I ever to question either of them as to the value of the positions they hold, I can assure you that you and your lapdog are the last people on earth, heaven or Hell that I would consider to replace them!"

Jesse scowled and opened his mouth to defend himself but Sue silenced him with a hand gesture, waiting for the now extremely fired up diva to continue. Something Rachel was glad to do when she saw that Jesse shut his mouth again and therefore wouldn't interrupt.

"Secondly and most importantly, you're right about one thing, we were on the podium in third place today because of Quinn. Because despite the fact she's in pain, she went out on the ice today, for me, for us…to ensure our invitation to National's! We _will_ be there coach Sylvester and when we are we'll be prepared for all the dirty tricks you can think of and then some…does that answer your question?"

Shrugging as though it was nothing to her, Sue blew out a breath.

"Your funeral Berry, you can't say I didn't give you a chance to become a winner."

Quinn snorted slightly, glad of Santana's restraining hand on her shoulder as she spoke calmly but clearly.

"She's _already _a winner."

Rolling her eyes, Sue waved her hand in a 'whatever' gesture before turning to leave with Jesse who was quietly simmering, it was WWill that got in the last word.

"One more thing Sue…if my skaters can still place on the podium when one of them is skating on an injured ankle and is in pain, how well do you think they're gonna do when they're at full health for National's?"

Although the coach didn't answer him, her spine went ramrod straight for a moment before she stalked off angrily. Santana laughed loudly and pulled Will in close enough to ruffle his usually indestructible hair.

"Nice one Willy boy! You definitely got in the last blow, and as for you Berry, _damn_ I'm impressed, way to send her packing!"

Blushing at the compliment, Rachel ducked her head with a very shy shrug.

"I didn't say anything that wasn't the truth, and Quinn didn't deserve to have that wicked old witch talk to her like that either."

Glancing across to the hockey player, she saw Quinn was grinning happily, reaching out she snagged her hand, pulling her into her arms with a small chuckle.

"I love you, you little trouble maker you!"

Rolling his eyes affectionately, Will corralled them all back up to the room where Rachel called her fFathers to let them know how the competition went. Quinn and Santana made a brief call to the hospital but their mom still hadn't woken up from the surgery, after reassuring themselves that she was fine, they hung up. Santana said an enthusiastic goodbye to the two before heading out to her car and apparently what promised to be a very hot date with Brittany. The journey home was a blur for Quinn once everything had been loaded into the taxi and they were driven to the airport, Will gave her a couple more of the painkillers which effectively knocked her out for the entire journey home. The disruptions were kept to a minimum as Rachel made sure the hockey player got as much rest as possible, so much so that Quinn's next clear memory was of waking up back in Spencer Mansion. Yawning, she blinked her eyes and peered around blearily for the brunette powerhouse. Unable to locate her, she decided to give in to both her urge to pee and her urge to eat, after a quick stop in the bathroom, Quinn rubbed the back of her neck tiredly and made her way downstairs, surprised her ankle only caused a slight limp, and towards voices in the lounge. As she approached the doorway, Rachel looked up and smiled brightly before rushing over to her side, literally leaping over the back of the sofa, much to her father's amusement.

"Hey there sleepyhead, I was wondering when you would rouse yourself from your pit?"

Smiling happily, the blonde ran a hand through her ruffled hair with a one shouldered shrug.

"Hey, it was you and Will that drugged me, so anyt drool left on the pillows and sheets is entirely your fault…I just want to make that clear now!"

Leroy's laughter from the lounge belatedly reminded the hockey player that they weren't alone, flushing a dull red color she grimaced before muttering.

"Morning Mr. B."

Bowing ever so slightly, Leroy grinned back at the faintly flushing hockey player before heading her way. Wrapping an arm around her shoulders lightly, he placed a soft kiss on top of her head.

"Well done at the competition kiddo, considering what you guys had to contend with, you did amazingly, how's the ankle feeling this morning?"

Trying not to smile too widely at the affectionate gesture, the hockey player looked down at the still tightly wrapped ankle and shrugged.

"It's definitely no worse, but I'm thinking that today is going to be all about various medical professional's poking and prodding at it?"

She looked at father and daughter with the same expression of resignation, and got two equally sympathetic ones in return as confirmation.

"Aw crap, well can I at least eat something first…I'm hungry enough to eat my own cooking!"

Leroy smirked before remarking.

"And that's saying something!"

He found himself trying to avoid both his daughter's scowl and Quinn's fist which was headed playfully for his stomach.

"Hey no picking on the old guy! Especially if you want me to show you where the chef hid the fresh cheese Danish he saved you!"

Quinn immediately dropped her fist and instead linked her arm with the taller man's.

"In that case, lead the way oh distinguished older gentleman!"

Rachel rolled her eyes and followed along behind the two of them.

"You really shouldn't encourage him Quinn, he's already insufferably vain as it is."

Leroy looked towards his one and only beloved daughter and promptly blew her a raspberry, causing Quinn to snort un-elegantly in amusement. Sighing in a very put upon way, the diva caught Quinn's amused hazel gaze and raised her hands as if to say 'you see!' Ssmirking, the hockey player shrugged helplessly as they made it to the kitchen.

"What can I say, he promised me pastries…you know I like pastries."

Gently cuffing the back of the blonde's head, Rachel leant down to steal a gentle kiss while her father busied himself making some tea. Pulling back after the gentle but thorough kiss, the diva smiled.

"But _I _can do that."

Pretending to look thoughtful for all of two seconds Quinn nodded decisively before clearing her throat and turning to Leroy.

"Sorry Mr. B, but from now on I'm going to have to let _her_ win."

Sighing with over exaggerated sadness, the older man placed Quinn's tea cup in front of her and patted her hands in a consoling way.

"I understand, she gets the scheming and deviousness from Hiram you know, but I have learnt to live with it!"

After a moments forced solemnity, both Leroy and Quinn erupted into giggles like two kids watching cartoons, rolling her eyes patiently, Rachel sat down next to her partner and rested her head on one broad shoulder as Leroy removed the fresh pastries from the top shelf of the oven and passed them over. After the hockey player had consumed several pastries and even more cups of tea, she finally sat back happily, the three of them chatted amiably about the cheerier aspects of the competition they'd just skated, including the more amusing aspects of Sue getting punched. Eventually however the talk turned to Quinn's damaged ankle and how they would be tackling it. Will had set up an appointment for Quinn at the local hospital that evening, after that they would know how best to handle it. Agreeing to stay off the ankle and keep it elevated until then, the usually active hockey player resigned herself to a day of sitting around doing not much, until Leroy airily remarked that he had linked two widescreen TV's and Xboxe's and had some spare time to kill. One hour later both he and Quinn were knee deep in zombies, happily blasting away while Rachel looked on fondly with a smile between passages of a book the blonde had loaned her called _Path Of The Fury_.

Hiram returned about mid-day and looked from the linked TV set's to Rachel, sighing dramatically.

"You let them play _Left 4 Dead_ together? Now I'll never get a conversation out of either of them, not to mention your father will start detailing the improvements he wants to make to the house which will make it 'zombie apocalypse' proof!"

Never taking his eyes from the screen where his character was currently blasting at something that looked like a bloated toad on two legs, Leroy replied cheerily.

"_And_ I've had a better idea about how to fortify the outer fences I want erected, much better than electricity!"

Gesturing to his husband with a '_see what you've done_' expression, Rachel just laughed softly, putting her book down she stood up to hug her father happily.

"I'm glad you're home, I've missed you daddy, besides you know I can't handle two overgrown kids without some help!"

Grinning happily, Hiram pushed his spectacles up his nose and with one glance to the oblivious zombie slayers gestured with his head down the hall.

"How about we go and make lunch for the brave soldiers, plus I have an idea I want toto runfloat pastwith you regarding that news article that caused Quinn's accident."

Her interest fully aroused by Hiram's cryptic comment, Rachel nodded eagerly and followed her father towards the kitchen, oblivious to whatever duplicity was going on around them, Quinn and Leroy continued blasting away at the enemies on screen. It wasn't until they were safely on the chopper and headed away from the hospital that they put their controllers down, reaching across with a fist, Leroy waited until Quinn bumped it happily before speaking.

"Think we have time for one more map before they get back?"

The hockey player opened her mouth to answer with a _'hells yeah!'_ when Rachel's voice interrupted her.

"No you haven't, now come and be civil, at least for a sandwich, plus daddy has had an idea which might help out with a couple of things but it's your decision."

Raising a questioning eyebrow at Leroy, who only shrugged in return, Quinn frowned and headed for the comfortable sofa. Plopping down next to Rachel, she allowed Leroy to prop her bad ankle on a cushion on the table in front of her before he sat down himself. Hiram smiled reassuringly at the blonde's speculative look.

"Don't panic Quinn, it's nothing too terrible, and it's also our chance to hit back a little after your father did his little smear job."

Scowling mildly at the reminder of yet another betrayal from her supposed father, Quinn shrugged and helped herself to a chicken and bacon sandwich from the plate Rachel passed her.

"Trust me, that really _wasn't_ that much of a surprise, the only surprise was that he waited so long to add another collection to the daggers he's left in my back."

Rachel frowned at the deadpan humor in her girl-friend's voice and lay a hand on her knee for a moment, sensing the diva's discomfort at how casually she was acting, Quinn caught her eye and winked softly before placing a soft and slightly buttery kiss to Rachel's cheek.

"Sorry, just trying to see the very dark humor in the situation, besides he doesn't matter really, you matter, my family that I have now matters, your family matters…but _he_ really doesn't."

Smiling again, Rachel wiped at the butter on her cheek, mollified by Quinn's words the diva settled down with her own hummus salad cCiabatta. They ate companionably for a while,while; Quinn was hungrier than she thought despite the glut of pastries she had, had that morning. Once they'd eaten lunch, Rachel handed her another two painkillers which she swallowed gratefully as the throbbing had started back in earnest somewhere about her second sandwich. Once they were comfortable and the painkillers had lulled the hockey player into a nicely hazy place, Hiram cleared his throat.

"Okay, now we both agree that while there was absolutely no truth in the article your father sold to that rag, there _is_ still a little damage control that needs to be done. Especially after Santana smacked Sue in the face in full view of half the sporting paparazzi!"

Wincing slightly, Quinn ran a hand through her hair with a groan.

"Yeah I know, sorry about that, if I'd known what she was going to do I could have stopped her, but she moves fast when she wants to!"

Hiram chuckled slightly and held a hand up to halt her apology.

"Hey it's by no means your fault and to be honest I was sort of _happy_ she did it, both Leroy and I have wanted to punch that annoying sociopath for years!"

Rachel snorted laughter into her mug of cocoa at that, Leroy chuckled and rubbed her shoulders lightly as she recovered. Leaning forward, the blonde placed a soft kiss on Rachel's temple before facing both of the men with a resigned sigh.

"Okay…break it to me then, what are we going to have to do to try and control this? It doesn't involve clowns or spiders does it?"

Rachel wrapped an arm around the hockey player's shoulder and pulled her closer as they settled back into the sofa. Leroy and Hiram both laughed softly at the blonde's only half- joking comment, holding one hand up and placing the other solemnly over his heart, Hiram said.

"No clowns and definitely no spiders…mostly because aside from whatever _your_ reaction might be, Leroy can screech loud enough to put an operatic soprano to shame when he sees anything with more than four legs!"

Crossing his arms in a mild huff, the taller man sat back muttering loudly enough that the others could hear him.

"I do not screech, I yell in a manly way in order to let you know that there's something alien in the house."

Without tearing his gaze from the two skaters, Hiram patted Leroy's knee consolingly.

"Of course you do dear…now back to the idea in question, minus anything that might cause manly screeching. _I_ say we fight with fire, your dad sells his story to the biggest muck- raking rag about simply to pad his own prison account. I say, we give a _proper _interview to a reputable magazine and donate the fee to a charity of your choice."

Sitting back, he picked up his tea and let the idea sink in, Quinn hadn't dismissed the idea immediately, which was encouraging. Rubbing the back of her neck, the hockey player glanced down to Rachel who looked suspiciously unsurprised by the announcement. Smiling slightly, Quinn let out a breath and mulled the idea over aloud.

"Well, on principle it does seem like a really good idea, I'm not arguing that…but there's one thing that could screw this up and make things worse than they already are."

Leroy raised a questioning eyebrow while Hiram just watched, he had an idea that he knew what was worrying the hockey player but he didn't want to put words into her mouth. Rachel squeezed the blonde to her comfortingly and wracked her brain to try and think what Quinn was referring to, after several silent moments contemplation, she shook her head slightly and gave in.

"What are you talking about love?"

Rubbing the back of her neck again in the all too familiar gesture of awkwardness, the hockey player blew out a breath and gestured to herself.

"ME, Rach…we have to rely on _me_ being verbose and sensible enough to actually take part in an interview!"

Frowning with a mix of frustration and mild annoyance, Rachel withdrew the hand that was around the hockey player's shoulders and huffed irritably.

"I wish you wouldn't do this!"

Looking truly perplexed, the blonde squinted in confusion and after rubbing the back of her neck for a moment, she ventured.

"Um, do what exactly?"

Throwing her hands up in exasperation, the brunette stood up and began to pace, speaking as she walked up and down in front of the table.

"Sell yourself short! We already did a couple of on the spot interviews at the competitions, and those were after unpleasant altercations with Jesse St. Douchebag!"

Smirking at the diva's nickname for Jesse, Quinn sighed and tried to explain herself.

"Well, yeah but those were sort of…the odd question here and there which wasn't too difficult to answer. I mean I could be wrong but I'm thinking that this time, they are going to want to know the personal stuff, I'm going to have to talk about my dad, about what happened to me…and about our relationship."

Pausing in her pacing, Rachel crossed her arms and allowed Quinn's concerns to settle in her brain where she could mull them over.

"I know we haven't exactly 'come out' so to speak but we haven't hidden our affection for each other either, most of the skaters on the circuit know we're partners in more than just skating."

Smiling softly, Quinn held a hand out waiting, eventually Rachel took it and allowed herself to be pulled down next to the hockey player who went on to explain.

"I have no problem going on record with how very much I love you Rachel Berry, if I could I'ds hold a press release just for that! But I want you to know that if we do this it won't just be an open secret amongst the skating circuit like it is now. It will be out there for the whole world to see, we'll be inundated with bad as well as good press. There are always haters that will turn out to jeer at us, yell abuse and basically try and make us feel like shit because of the fact we love each other. So far you haven't had to deal with that and I just want you to be fully ready for what might happen."

Letting out a slow breath, the diva glanced towards her parents, they were secretly proud of Quinn for wanting to make sure Rachel knew exactly what this article might result in. they had of course already spoken with the little brunette about it but knowing that Quinn's first concern was Rachel just reaffirmed how much they loved each other. Twirling a strand of hair around a forefinger in thought, the diva eventually spoke.

"I understand that there are a lot of people who will condemn us for loving each other yes…but I also know that having the bravery to just be who we are no matter how many people hate us for it will help more people than we might ever realize."

Quinn raised a quizzical eyebrow, and unable to resist, Rachel reached up to press a kiss to the wrinkled brow before explaining softly.

"All over the world are kids, teenagers, who struggle with who they really are, who wonder _why_ they feel differently to their friends who are talking about boys and parties or girls and football. Those kids don't always have someone to talk to about how they feel and either get pressured into being 'normal' or end up despising themselves for not wanting what everyone else does, or not enjoying it when they _do_ have it. It takes people like us, people in the spotlight, so to speak, up, to step forward and say 'hey, it doesn't matter who you love, just be your best, be who you are and live your life' and I suppose that…I mean this _might_ be a career changing decision, but how am I doing justice to myself or to how we feel about each other if I lie. No Quinn, I can't do that, and more importantly I _won't_ do that, if they ask about us, we tell them and we also tell them how proud we are of that, and how lucky we are to have found each other."

Eyes shining with pride, not tears, most _definitely _not tears, Quinn brushed the back of her hand across her face to wipe away the moisture that was 'not tears' and forced herself to talk through the lump in her throat, it came out a little hoarser than normal but it _did_ come out.

"And _that_, right there is just one of the amazing reasons I love you Rae, if you know what we might be exposing ourselves to and still want to go ahead and do it, then let's do it…it's not like I have anything to hide."

Sighing slightly, Rachel tucked a strand of scraggly blonde hair behind Quinn's ear and spoke sadly.

"And yet again you blow past the concern for yourself as though it isn't as important as how _I_ feel. This interview is about us as a skating partnership only on the surface, underneath we both know what the reporters will be asking…and I want to know, _truthfully_, how you are going to feel about that, please?"

A quick glance towards Leroy and Hiram told her there was no help on offer thereir as both men looked as resolutely concerned as their daughter. Clearing her throat, the blonde pulled idly on her earlobe and spoke haltingly.

"It's…going to be hard. I mean, no one ever really asks me about stuff like that…not even my mom's. They knew I'd talk about if I needed to I guess, but that damn article has rooted everything out hasn't it?"

She smiled sadly at Rachel's hesitant nod, sinking back into the comforting embrace of the diva, she blew out a breath.

"I will answer what they ask as long as…well, there are some things I would rather not talk about yet, not because I have something to hide but because I'm still processing it myself. Also, some of it is _beyond_ private and definitely doesn't need to be spoken about in the press, at least not yet."

Knowing exactly what, or rather whom, Quinn was referring to, Rachel squeezed her tighter and kissed her temple reassuringly.

"But as for most of it, I guess I don't mind talking about it so much, I mean given my somewhat loquacious past, I'm thinking I might have to get used to people selling sleaze stories about me."

She glanced at Rachel with a wince, the diva however merely smiled and stole another quick kiss before commenting.

"Hush, that isn't you anymore, it wasn't even _really_ you then and that's all I need to know. They never saw the real Quinn Fabray, she's mine and mine alone so if they want to sell their stories for a cheap thrill, let them! I know you love me and I know I love you, anything else is just garbage."

Smiling back in mild disbelief, the hockey player shook her head.

"Like I said, you're amazing Miss Berry, and although I'm worried that I'm going to say the wrong thing, make an inappropriate joke or end up insulting the interviewer…I say we do it, together."

Grinning happily, Rachel curled her feet under her and leaned in closer to the blonde who glanced towards the two waiting men, Hiram already had one hand on his phone, primed to ring the interviewer. Laughing, Quinn nodded at him, squealing happily, he trotted out to the hallway to make the call, turning to the brunette powerhouse Quinn raised an eyebrow.

"I guess team Faberry is officially coming out, huh Princess?"

Giggling and crinkling her nose up in the way that Quinn found so appealing, Rachel threw both her arms around the hockey player and pulled her into a proper embrace sealing her lips over the grinning blonde's eagerly, after a moment's very thorough oral exploration, she pulled away and smirked as Quinn gasped for breath.

"Hells yeah Gretzky, bring it on!"

Leroy smirked and couldn't resist trying to interrupt the romantic moment.

"Ready for another game then Quinn?"

Before the blonde could reply, Rachel gasped and pointed to her dad's shoe with an expression of mild horror.

"Oh my _God_, is that an earwig?!"

Letting out the girly squeak that Hiram had referenced earlier, Leroy leapt up and ran out of the lounge as though the devil himself were on his tail. Laughing lowly, Quinn nipped at the tip of Rachel's nose before muttering.

"You really _can_ be evil, can't you Miss Berry?"

Smiling serenely, the little diva snapped Quinn's bra strap and at the gasp of surprise, smiled smugly.

"Yup!"

Narrowing her eyes playfully, the hockey player held out her forefingers and headed for Rachel's ticklish spots.

"Oh, you are _so_ in for it now!"

The brunette squealed with laughter and started struggling playfully, a part of her was worried about the upcoming interview, but whatever happened she would be right by Quinn's side. And secretly, _she_ thought that there wasn't that much the two of them couldn't handle when they put their minds to it!


	25. Chapter 25

_WARNING: severe fluff alert! This is mostly mush and a little bit of humour, partly because there may be some heavy angst on the horizon, I can't decide yet whether to include it or not…Also this chapter is dedicated to Nic my beta, whom the reporter in this chapter is named after and who came up with the questions put to our duo! Enjoy!_

Yawning happily, Quinn stretched in the bed and after a moment's thought snuggled further into the ridiculously soft duvet. _Inside_ the duvet she was warm, and despite the insistent dull throbbing in her injured ankle, remarkably comfortable. Most importantly it was safe, whereas _outside_ the duvet she knew Rachel was waiting, waiting to subject her to all sorts of torturous procedures! Hence her reluctance to leave the safe haven of the bed, comforted by the combined scents of Rachel's vanilla shampoo and cedar wood perfume, and her own Prada cologne. As the silence outside the duvet continued, the hockey player smirked happily to herself, rolling back onto her stomach…only to have the duvet whipped unceremoniously off of her. Refusing to submit quite so easily, the blonde groaned and immediately burrowed her head under the pillows, not quite far enough however to drown out the amused giggling of her partner.

"Quinn Fabray, you _cannot_ stay in bed all day! We agreed to this interview so you need to roll that delectable tush of yours out of there and into the bath."

One hazel eye peeped out to peer at the diva with a mix of suspicion, and something else Rachel couldn't quite place.

"But it's nice in here, come on…join me!"

A smirk joined the hazel eye, and rolling her own brown ones in amusement, the little diva placed her hands on her hips.

"As much as I admit that snuggling with you would be fun and then some, one of us has to be the tough guy in this scenario and apparently it's me!"

Rachel did her best not to grin triumphantly as Quinn abruptly sat up with an adorable pout.

"Hey, _I'm_ the tough one princess, you're the eye candy remember?"

Forcing a nonchalant shrug (as opposed to ruffling the already tousled blonde hair in front of her like she wanted to) Rachel raised a speculative eyebrow.

"_Well_…working with the evidence currently presented to me I'd have to say the opposite was true!"

Walking in a slow circle round the bedroom, the little diva stated her case.

"It's ten to eleven in the morning, I've been up, out for a jog, had breakfast and planned out what to wear for our interview this morning while you've hidden away in bed! Ergo, I'm the one who manned up."

Narrowing her eyes playfully, Quinn flopped back down onto her back.

"Okay, well firstly…_I_ had trouble getting to sleep because I was sharing a bed with a spider woman who kept stealing the duvet and crawling all over the mattress. Secondly I can't go running because I'm currently faulty…and thirdly…well, I don't _need_ a thirdly because the first two were pretty awesome."

Trying to find fault with that logic and failing, as it was hard to prove or disprove what she did in her sleep, Rachel just sighed before flopping down next to the smug hockey player.

"You are infuriating sometimes Gretzky!"

Turning her head to look at Rachel lying next to her, Quinn grinned.

"And you _love it_! Admit it princess…"

Snorting slightly in denial the brunette looked across into the amused hazel eyes of the hockey player, she managed to keep her straight face until Quinn employed the power of the puss in boots eyes coupled with the pout. Laughing softly, Rachel shoved at Quinn's shoulders lightly.

"And you're lucky I do, not sure how many other people would endure peanut butter smeared on the pillows!"

Smirking, the blonde leant across and placed a kiss on Rachel's lips before letting out a sigh as she rested her forehead on the divas.

"Do we _really_ have to get up and do this interview?"

Reaching across with one hand, Rachel caught hold of one of Quinn's calloused ones and squeezed gently.

"We don't _have_ to do anything, but I promise you it won't be that bad, Daddy asked someone he went to college with, apparently she's really nice, plus she knows if we say we won't answer something we won't answer it. Plus I know you Gretzky, you aren't worried about the interview at all, you're more worried about the preparation phase, am I right?"

Narrowing her eyes at the playful waggling of the divas eyebrows, Quinn rolled her eyes and went to burrow under the pillows again.

"I hate being fussed over, what's wrong with jeans and a T-shirt?"

Chuckling softly, Rachel burrowed under the pillow as well so they were face to face again before answering.

"You can essentially wear what you want baby, we just have to make sure no one could take offence at a logo or saying on a T-shirt or something equally ridiculous."

Seeming to mull that over for a moment, Quinn frowned thoughtfully then grinned.

"So, I'm guessing the one that says _'Property of Arkham Asylum'_ is out then?"

Laughing loudly in spite of herself, the brunette shoved playfully at the hockey players shoulders again.

"Exactly…so, can we get up now?"

Seeing that Quinn still looked undecided she sweetened the deal.

"How about…if I promise you fresh cheese Danish _and_ bacon sandwiches for breakfast when you get out of the tub?"

Hazel eyes suddenly lit up and before Rachel could even finish speaking; Quinn was up, out of bed and hopping towards the bathroom as she called over her shoulder.

"I'll be in the tub, you better not be lying about that cheese Danish princess!"

Smiling fondly, Rachel allowed herself a happy sigh before rolling out of bed, murmuring.

"Mental note to self: always keep fresh cheese Danish on hand for difficult situations."

By the time Quinn got herself out of the tub, Rachel had a huge mug of sugary tea and a plate containing a bacon sandwich and a fresh cheese Danish, waiting for her. Smiling happily the hockey player settled herself down to eat as Rachel set about re wrapping her ankle for her. Managing to keep the wincing down to a minimum this time, Quinn nonetheless happily accepted the painkillers she was offered.

"Remind me not to sprain anything else would you? I can't really pull off the damaged look."

Leaning forward Rachel placed a soft but incredibly thorough kiss on Quinn's lips before pulling back and licking the Danish crumbs off her lips…reaching out she then lightly cuffed the back of the blondes head. The hockey player exaggeratedly rubbed the 'sore spot' and raised a puzzled eyebrow.

"Okay, what was _that_ for?!"

Half shaking her head Rachel moved over to open the half of the wardrobe Quinn kept her clothes in as she answered.

"Well, the kiss is because you're gorgeous and I can't help myself, plus the trip that caused the sprain wasn't technically your fault. The Gibb's slap was because you are _not_ damaged…and again, because the trip wasn't your fault, even though I know you still partially blame yourself."

Blinking for a moment (if you asked her, she would deny it was to dispel the few tears that had formed at her partners perceptiveness) Quinn tilted her head to one side and wryly commented.

"You got _all that_ from one off hand sentence?"

Taking the silent cue to keep the conversation light, Rachel threw Quinn's favourite worn out jeans at her and smirked.

"No you doofus, I got all that from loving you!"

Smirking widely, Quinn sat on the edge of the bed and lifted her arms in triumph as though she'd just slammed home the winning goal in the Stanley cup!

"See, you _love me_, we all heard it, there's no denying it now it's on record!"

Giggling at the blondes messing around, Rachel just shook her head.

"I've never denied that I love you, you gigantic dork, and in case you haven't noticed it _we_ are the only ones here, so who the 'all' are that you just referred to, I have no idea!"

Leaning back on her elbows on the bed, the hockey player just smiled.

"Well, okay…maybe there are only two of us here but as far as you loving me and me loving you, _we_ are the only ones that matter."

Sorting through the blondes T-shirts, Rachel couldn't help but fall a little more in love with her when she found a faded black one with a screen printed family photo on it. When she saw what the diva had found, Quinn groaned in embarrassment.

"Okay, well you can forget you found that one! I look like a total douche in that picture, stupid Santana…"

She trailed off, muttering as Rachel peered closely at the cracked image, it had obviously been taken at a family BBQ, Dave was grinning as he wielded a set of tongs, and Lily was stood with Sofia hugging her from behind. Santana had her usual wicked grin in place, one arm playfully wrapped around Quinn's neck while her other was busy administering a hair ruffle to the surprised hockey player. Quinn herself had _obviously_ been taken unawares as she had a half genuine smile on her face which ruined the overall bad ass look she had seemingly been going for with her ripped jeans and Ramones T-shirt. Turning to the hockey player, Rachel smiled softly as she traced a finger lightly over the image of the teenaged Quinn. A Quinn who had been surprised into revealing just a little, of how amazing she really was under all her practiced bravado.

"When was this taken, and how exactly did it end up on a T-shirt if you hate it so much huh?"

Huffing out a breath, Quinn tugged nervously at the lapels of her robe as she spoke.

"It was my first birthday with my moms, they insisted on doing something even though I was saying all I wanted to do was forget it. _So,_ despite my objections they organised a party, just a small one, it was only us there…but they made sure to get all the stuff they knew I liked, Dave grilled it all and we just sort of…hung out together. Santana knew how much ma wanted a new family photo that included all of us, so she set up the camera and came back over…I was just gonna be my sullen self of course, because back then it still felt too dangerous to smile. I know that sounds weird, but if you smile, it means you're happy and every time I'd been happy before…well, it didn't end so well you know?"

Walking over to where Quinn was reclined on the bed, Rachel nodded encouragingly and rested her chin on the hockey player's knee. Running a hand through the brunette's silky strands thoughtfully, Quinn grinned wryly and carried on.

"Anyway, even back then Santana knew me better than I knew myself and she knew I'd try to keep up my hard assed image. So one second before the picture was taken, she did _that_ knowing it would make me smile…sneaky bitch. Needless to say both mom and ma loved it so when she got it developed San had a T-shirt made of it for ma, one she insisted on wearing even though it made me scowl."

Smiling, Rachel linked the fingers of her free hand through Quinn's own.

"So how did you end up with it then?"

Sighing slightly, the hockey player's smile turned melancholy.

"After mom got shot and she and ma…separated for a while, mom would fall asleep holding that shirt, I asked her once why she did that seeing as she had been the one to ask for space. Well, I say I asked, I more like yelled it at her one night when I came home drunk."

Rachel didn't even have to ask why the blonde had felt the need to yell at her mom. She knew without a doubt that when Sofia and Lily had split for that little while it would have caused Quinn all sorts of pain she had probably never spoken about. After a moment the hockey player carried on explaining.

"She knew I was just lashing out, she didn't yell back…she made me sit down and she explained to me that the reason she had asked for space was because the shooting hade made her all messed up. She felt weaker, not strong enough for herself, let alone for ma or us, she cried a little and I did too. It was then she admitted that she slept with that shirt because it smelt of ma, and because it reminded her of what she had waiting for her, to sort her head out for."

Lifting their joined hands and kissing the diva's knuckles lightly, Quinn half smiled.

"When I got the job here with you, I guess maybe they knew I'd be feeling a little homesick or something because they both gave me this…told me it was to remember what I had, that just because I wasn't there they wouldn't forget me. Guess that sounds sort of…silly huh?"

Raising a questioning eyebrow, Quinn wasn't altogether surprised when Rachel stood up and leaned down to kiss her, she _was_ surprised at the depth of the kiss however and had to mentally slap herself when she felt the diva's tongue brush lightly over her lips, begging for entrance. Managing to smother the moan she both felt and heard Rachel give, by brushing her own tongue across the brunette's, Quinn tangled her hands in Rachel's shirt front urging her closer with a gentle tug. Eventually, and before things got too heated, they pulled away from each other breathless; Rachel's smile was as goofy as the hockey players as she finally answered the not quite question.

"Not silly Gretzky, sweet, like _you_ are…even though you don't like people knowing that, if I could get away with it I'd make you wear this for the interview!"

Quinn arched the 'eyebrow of extreme stubbornness' as she drawled.

"But…?"

Smiling at the raised eyebrow, Rachel reached out and physically smoothed it back down.

"But I know better, so instead I shall merely 'borrow' it from you to sleep in tonight…if that's okay?"

She trailed off slightly questioningly and the hockey player smiled, it meant more to her than she could say that Rachel wanted to wear that particular shirt so she forced a nonchalant shrug that fooled neither of them.

"Yeah that's fine…just don't drool on it."

Huffing indignantly, Rachel headed back to the wardrobe with an added dramatic flourish in her steps.

"Now why would I do that when I can drool on your pillow?"

Pulling a face, Quinn settled back into her slouched position.

"Gross Berry, really gross!"

Smiling sweetly, the diva went back to her quest, rummaging through the seeming mass of T-shirts that the blonde owned, casting some readily aside while others went into the okay pile. By the time they had finished this task and chosen something Quinn felt comfortable in that was also deemed safe enough, it was almost time for the interview to take place. After much debate with Hiram and Leroy, they'd decided to have it take place in the main lounge. It wasn't as comfy as the den next to the kitchen where the skaters usually spent their time but it was formal enough that the photos wouldn't need much posing. Leroy nodded approvingly of Rachel's soft black jeans that she'd teamed with the hockey shirt from Quinn's new year's charity match…and outright laughed at the blondes own choice of shirt. Grinning, the hockey player looked down to the carton 'Tea Rex' with his bowler hat, monocle and cup and saucer.

"Classy yet relaxed, don't ya think?"

Hiram shook his head; sighing the sigh of the long suffering as he watched his husband fist bump the blonde's choice. Rolling his eyes at Rachel who just shrugged good naturedly, Hiram then made sure the room was neat enough…not that there was much to mess up, pretty much just a few magazines on the table, one of which (the latest Empire) Quinn was flipping through, her bad foot propped up on the table with a cushion under it. Rachel flopped down next to her resting her head on the blondes shoulder as she read an article about the movie _Pacific Rim_.

"You're going to make me go and see that movie, aren't you?"

Trying her best to look innocent, the hockey player shrugged the shoulder Rachel wasn't resting on.

"Well, ya know, it just looks like something we might both enjoy…don't ya think?"

Looking pointedly at the double page spread which showed some huge robot wrestling with a demented looking lizard, Rachel tried not to laugh.

"Weeeeeeellllll, I can see that _you_ would definitely enjoy it, there are dinosaur looking things, huge robot's and a fight which looks like it probably damages more of the city than the dinosaur thing would on its own."

Quinn was too astounded by the inaccuracies in that statement, and Rachel was too amused _by_ Quinn's obvious astonishment, for either of them to hear the doorbell. They were so engrossed in their little debate that Hiram was able to show his friend in and the two of them were able to watch the skaters bickering good naturedly, undetected. Smiling slightly the reporter glanced at Hiram.

"Is this usual?"

Laughing softly he watched Quinn, arms wind milling wildly as she attempted to explain the finer points of something called 'Mechs' to his bemused daughter. Waiting for a pause in the conversation, he cleared his throat at which point they both looked up, Rachel smiled brightly with just a hint of red tinting the very top of her cheeks. Quinn did her usual fire engine red flush of embarrassment and half waved. Hiram headed towards the two and gestured to the woman standing next to him.

"Sorry to interrupt what sounds like an interesting…um…_debate,_ but I'd like to introduce you to Nicole, she's an old friend so behave with her!"

Quinn held her hands up as if Hiram was holding her up and Rachel rolled her eyes at her father's dramatics. Her father's reporter friend was ridiculously tall next to him but was probably only five foot eight, Hiram, like Rachel, just had a tendency to make _everyone_ look tall. She had long slightly curled red hair and was dressed in a white blouse with the sleeves rolled up, black pinstripe pants and black ankle boots; she smiled and nodded politely to the two skaters. They nodded back companionably before returning their attention to a squirming Hiram.

"Daddy, I'm _sure_ we'll be fine! Don't worry about us…I mean, it's not like after the interviews over we're going to ask your old friend for blackmail stories about your time together in college is it?"

She blinked innocently and turned to Quinn, who smiled just as _'innocently'_ as her partner.

"Exactly, chill out Hiram…I'm sure you were such a good boy that even if she _did_ want to tell us something there would be nothing to tell, isn't that right Nicole?"

The reporter laughed at her friends face and laid a hand on his arm, trying to look solemn.

"Don't worry Hiram…I'm _sure_ I can handle this interview without blowing your cover as a serious parental figure."

Narrowing his eyes he swung a warning finger between his friend and his daughter(s) as he headed towards the study where Leroy was setting up for a conference call they both had. Once he'd gone (after one last pointed glare) the skaters broke into grins. Rachel collapsed back onto the sofa next to Quinn, their fingers automatically lacing together. Rachel then gestured to the chair that had been arranged opposite them.

"Okay, _so_…daddy explained a little bit about the format of the interview with you I guess?"

Nodding slightly, Nicole gratefully sank into the faux leather armchair and began to take the things she would need for the interview out of her bag, arranging them carefully on the table in front of her.

"Yes, and don't worry, if there's anything I stray towards that you'd rather I didn't then just say so. To be honest I'm happy enough to be getting this interview that I don't want to accidentally piss you off, let alone intentionally do so!"

Grinning slightly to cover her bewilderment, Quinn tugged on her ear with her free hand as she commented.

"Well, I'm happy to do this with a friend of Hiram's and I'll try and be open as I possibly can but yeah…there _are_ things I may not want to delve into so much. Truth is I find this all kind of strange, I mean, Rach told me it would possibly be like this but the idea people are really _that_ interested in my life is, well, odd. I keep expecting to hear the 'Twilight Zone' music, you know?"

Chuckling slightly Nicole nodded; watching as Rachel scratched the nape of Quinn's neck lightly, presumably to comfort her nerves.

"Yes, I can imagine that not being raised around the press, this has sort of hit you hard, which is why I will _try_ and be as non-paparazzi like as I possibly can be! I'll do the photos myself if that's okay which cuts down on one of the extra people that would normally be here with me."

Rachel raised an impressed eyebrow.

"I didn't think that was normal, don't you have to set up loads of different lights and all that?"

Smile widening slightly, the reporter pulled a digital SLR out and set it next to the notebook, tripod and voice recorder on the desk.

"Well, if we were going for a full on fashion shoot then maybe, yeah, however I actually started out as a photographer on the crime beat so I'm pretty handy with a camera myself. I also figured that you'd prefer me and one camera to a photographer and a whole set up."

Quinn dashed off a sloppy salute of confirmation.

"You got that right! So long as you're happy to do things yourself then I reckon it's safe to say we're definitely okay with it?"

She glanced to Rachel for confirmation and the little diva nodded happily, with that sorted, Nicole set about mounting the camera on a tripod and focusing it on the couple, explaining she would let it take timed shots through the interview as well as occasionally taking one with the remote. Setting the auto focus, timer and syncing the remote, the reporter finally sat back down, while she'd been setting things up, the skaters had been pouring drinks and had then settled down to a _serious_ game of thumb wars. Taking a few quick candid shots of the two women fooling around, Nicole sat down and gratefully sipped the coffee Rachel had poured for her, sighing happily when she realised Hiram must have already told the brunette how she liked it.

"Okay, while I'm sorry to break up what looks like some serious competition, the sooner we start this, the sooner you're free for the rest of the day!"

Immediately sitting up with her brightest smile, Rachel brushed her hair over her shoulder; Quinn rolled her eyes at her partner's show smile.

"Geez princess, no need to do the fake smile thing, it's just us remember…and admit it, you're just glad because I was _so_ kicking your little ass at thumb wars!"

Laughing at the outraged look on the diva's face, Quinn ducked the Gibb's slap aimed at the back of her head.

"Shut it Gretzky! For your information I was just gearing up for an epic comeback…though I do apologise for the show smile! Sort of happens automatically really, however, I am now determined to just be me…at least for _this_ interview anyway."

Her show smile gave way to a truly amused grin as she allowed Quinn to pull her back into a hug, the hockey players arms wrapped around her waist. Nicole shook her head at the two of them and flipped through her notebook until she came across the few scribbled questions she had come up with along with her editor.

"Okay then guys, we'll start with the basic's I've got down here then play it by ear, I'll record the interview and give you a copy of the tape if you like, that way if there's anything that comes out in the article you dispute you can refer back to it."

Raising a blonde eyebrow, the hockey player quipped.

"It's just like being interviewed by the cops, though at least the coffee's better…"

Rachel rolled her eyes as Quinn smirked and placed a kiss to the diva's temple.

"You're such a wiseass, if you don't behave yourself for the next couple of hours I'll serve you police grade coffee…_and_ stale Danish!"

Pulling the appropriate face of disgust, Quinn sank back into the cushions of the sofa, waiting for Rachel to get comfortable next to her. The diva lay with her back resting near the sofa's arm and her feet in the blondes lap. Figuring they were ready, and curious to discover if they were just best friends or indeed something much more, Nicole glanced at the first question on her list.

"Alright so first up, how did the two of you meet; is there any truth to the rumours that Quinn started out in hockey and not ice skating?"

Both skaters grinned and glanced at the hockey shirt with Quinn's number on it that Rachel was wearing; it was the hockey player that answered however.

"Well, yeah we definitely came from 'opposite sides of the tracks' I guess you could say, Rachel's coach, well _our_ coach now, Will Schuster, was visiting a mutual friend of ours. He saw me playing hockey, street hockey this was, and I guess he must have liked what he saw because next thing I know he was sat in my living room and my mom was waking me from the hangover from hell to come talk to someone about a job. Truth is, until Will turned up at my door the thought of figure skating had never even crossed my mind. I'd played just about every other sport under the sun, basketball, soccer, softball, baseball, lacrosse, ice hockey, street hockey, handball and even track. I lettered in most of them at one point or another…but figure skating? That was strictly for wimps."

She trailed off with a laugh at Rachel's disbelieving glare and shrugged.

"Hey, that was before I knew better okay! _Now_ I know that figure skating is about the toughest sport in the world, at least out of the ones I've played!"

Rachel lifted the hand that was interlaced with Quinn's and kissed the hockey players scarred knuckles lightly before she turned her attention to Nicole who was scribbling busily.

"That's her half of the story anyway, mine is a little more…colourful I'm afraid!"

It was Quinn's turn to soothe Rachel this time and she ran her thumb gently over the diva's knuckles, giving her an encouraging smile.

"I'm sure it's no secret that my reputation when it comes to skating partners is not the best, I think most people use the words 'bitch' or 'ice queen' and that's only if they're feeling generous. They weren't wrong either, as much as I wish they were; it was just that I always seemed to want or expect something from my partners that they didn't have…and that I never gave them the chance to develop. Will had literally been to all four corners of the earth and then some to try and find me a partner that was willing to skate with me and was strong enough to not only stand up for themselves but to challenge me. Needless to say when I first laid eyes on Quinn here, I was convinced that she _wasn't_ going to be the one…besides the rage I initially felt that she was actually a _she_."

Raising an eyebrow the reporter jumped at the chance to ad lib a question.

"So, the same sex pairing wasn't a planned thing then?"

Both skaters laughed at that, Rachel shaking her head emphatically before expanding on the answer.

"Nope, I think Will knew that if he had even _attempted_ to float the idea with me it would have led to hours and hours of arguments, sulking and dozens of slammed doors! Instead, he saw Quinn skate, realised she was more than capable of taking on the traditionally male role of a pairs skater and made the unilateral decision to offer her a try out. Needless to say I wasn't exactly eager to embrace the idea when I first learned of it; my name was already pretty tarnished in the skating world, something I was painfully aware of. To _my_ mind this was only going to make it worse not better, however, once Will pointed out that I really had no other choice as no one else would skate with me…I couldn't really say no."

Quinn grinned crookedly at that and couldn't resist adding.

"And then of course she met me and recognised my brilliance!"

Rachel raised an amused eyebrow, the edges of her mouth curling up in a matching grin.

"That's not _quite_ the way I remember it Gretzky."

Sensing a much more entertaining tale behind their exchange, Nicole leapt in with her next question.

"So the two of you came from very different skating backgrounds so to speak, what _was_ it like when you first met and started skating together? Any clashes when it came to your personalities, or style?"

Both Quinn and Rachel smirked at the question and the diva shifted closer so she could rest her head on the hockey player's shoulder. Quinn tugged lightly on her ear before pursing her lips, thinking how best to word her reply.

"I think it's safe to say that, initially at least…we most _definitely_ rubbed each other up the wrong way, as far as I was concerned she was everything the press said she was and then some."

Rachel nodded before adding.

"And to my eyes, _she_ was a thug who was two misdemeanours away from a felony with about as much breeding as a mongrel. I'm ashamed to say that we treated each other appallingly when we first met, I wanted her to fail and made no secret of the fact, and she wanted to prove me wrong just to annoy me."

Quinn nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, that about covers it, it didn't help that as athletic and graceful as I was…I was a complete novice when it came to figure skating, and _in particular_ the differences between figure skates and ice hockey skates."

Rachel groaned and tried to hide her face in the hockey player's neck, laughing the blonde glanced towards the bemused reporter.

"And now we come to one of Rachel's little secret's…her crappy sense of humour!"

Glaring slightly, the diva sat up straight and pointed out.

"Hey, I only did that after _you _deliberately dropped me on my ass from five foot in the air!"

Amused at the mock glaring going on between the two skaters in front of her, Nicole cleared her throat.

"I may regret asking this, but I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't…what _exactly_ did you do Rachel, and why did _you _drop her on her ass Quinn?"

Mock glaring at the smirking blonde, Rachel turned to Nicole and let out a sigh.

"At this point we still didn't like each other very much; or maybe we did but we didn't recognise it yet, anyway…whichever one it was she had gotten me pretty frustrated! Mostly because as much as I wanted her to be incapable of keeping up or perhaps to be about as graceful as Bambi was on ice, she was neither. _Except_ when it came to mastering the toe pick, it's a small part of the figure skate but if you don't master it you tend to face plant the ice…a lot!"

Quinn remarked drily.

"And I did, frequently, much to her highnesses amusement I might add."

Rachel blushed slightly in embarrassment, though the effect was ruined somewhat by the small grin that accompanied it.

"Well you _were_ being an insufferable ass at that point Quinn, I figured watching you get knocked down a peg or two couldn't hurt."

Nicole glanced to the hockey player with a wince of sympathy.

"Ooh Rachel's got claws, I can't believe she did that to you, but Quinn, I'm assuming that you were no pushover either!"

The hockey player barked a laugh at that and pulling Rachel closer to her again, kissed the diva's forehead before replying.

"Very true, I think Will seriously considered shooting the two of us with tranquilisers sometimes in the early days! And to clarify what she said earlier, I _had_ dropped her on her ass purposely, however in my defence she was the one being an insufferable ass at that point in time."

Rachel nodded easily in agreement and the two skaters shared a nostalgic smile as they thought back to how they had started out, sensing the direction their thoughts were going, the reporter asked the obvious next question.

"Well then, I have to ask, how _did_ you two get to where you are today, I mean clearly you work well together and are equally as protective of each other off the ice?"

Thinking back to her altercations with Jesse and the way it had brought out her protective side, Quinn flushed faintly and ducked her head, something Rachel found adorable and she smirked.

"Don't get shy on me now Gretzky I'm not fielding this one on my own!"

Despite the distinct fire engine red hue of her cheeks, the hockey player looked up, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, yeah I'm here with you princess…and yes we are protective, I think it's safe to say that as we got to know each other, I mean…the _real_ each other, the more we found we cared. I mean, everyone sees the way Rachel is on the ice and assumes she's just as poised, controlled and seemingly cold off of it as well, when in fact it couldn't be further from the truth. I mean I hate to demystify things here, but off the ice Rachel is just like everyone else, she has bad days, she has days where she wants to do nothing but snuggle and watch cartoons and she cries and laughs at the same things the rest of us do. She_ is_ however, more compassionate, understanding and loving than I can possibly hope to convey to you, and for that I guess I'm grateful that she called me out on being such an ass…so yeah, I'll do pretty much anything to protect her, to protect what we have now."

Blinking tears out of her eyes, Rachel squeezed the hand nestled in her own before speaking hoarsely.

"I…_hate_ that you answered first because now I have to try and think of something that sounds half as good as that!"

Thumping the blondes shoulder lightly, the little diva blew out a breath before adding her own answer, speaking to Nicole but looking at Quinn as she did so.

"Quinn _was_ an ass, but only on the surface, she was proud of that and worked hard to keep the image up, however, after her family came down to drop off the rest of her stuff when she got the job and agreed to stay…I saw a different side to her, one I guess most people don't get to see. She's very loving; she cares a hell of a lot about the people around her even if she thinks it's weak to show it. With her family around her though she's incapable of being anyone but her real self, or at least she couldn't help but offer glimpses of who she really was, and when she did I was hooked. Because _that_ Quinn was…well, everything I never knew I wanted."

She ended with a shrug, and as much as Quinn fought to supress the blush, she felt her cheeks heat up again, leaving _her_ to be the one to try and hide in the diva's neck this time. Nicole shook her head at the two skaters who seemed to be having their own private conversation conducted merely through their joined hands and the occasional glance, she _almost_ felt bad for interrupting it to continue the interview…but only almost.

"Speaking of being protective of each other...Quinn, you were seen protecting Rachel from Jesse at a competition, in fact your rivalry with Jesse is already being compared to Harding and Kerrigan already, any comments on that?"

Wincing slightly at the mention of the St James douche bag and her own incredibly territorial behaviour, the hockey player rubbed the back of her neck.

"Aw geez, um…_well_, it was never my intention to get into that type of rivalry with _anyone_, let alone one of Rachel's ex skating partners. Everyone knows that psychological warfare can be just as, if not more damaging, than actually trading blows, and Jesse is a pro at psyching people out, well he thinks he is. And he insists on using that weapon against Rachel, making her think that we're a joke, nothing more than a side show act."

Pausing, Quinn glanced at Rachel who winked reassuringly, giving her the confidence to go on, despite how personal the topic was bound to get.

"I guess he also knew I'd react to that and played me a bit, but even knowing that's what he's aiming to do there's no way I would stand by and listen to him belittle Rachel, myself or how hard we work. Plus…the family I have _now_, there is no way in this or any other galaxy that I'm going to let him bad mouth them, he may technically be right when he refers back to me being a thug and having a shitty past, but my mom's now, they had nothing to do with that. The only thing _they _have done is treat me like a parent _should_ treat a child they love, and for him to say what he does about them…well, he's lucky they taught me a little restraint."

Nicole could sense the unease that rested just below the surface of the seemingly relaxed blonde in front of her and smiled kindly in a bid to reassure her she wouldn't make her talk about anything she really felt she couldn't. Rachel watched the exchange and mouthed her thanks to the reporter as she moved her hand to Quinn's neck, lightly rubbing and scratching at the nape to help ease the tension trying to settle into the hockey player's shoulders. Busying herself for a moment Nicole topped up their drinks and handed Quinn hers with a soft smile before phrasing the next question carefully.

"So, he brought up your past huh? Quinn, would _you_ like to tell us more about your past? After all I for one would like to know the truth about your past, _not_ your past as told to us by Russell Fabray, a man you haven't even spoken to since you were a child."

Letting loose a small sigh, Quinn sank back into the sofa with Rachel, who kept one hand on the nape of her neck, the other running soothingly up and down the blondes arm, her support obvious. After smiling reassuringly at the obviously concerned diva she cleared her throat.

"I'll tell you some of it, not all…partly because I hate recounting it at all, and partly because it's not exactly pleasant to have to hear. My dearest father was right about a few of the things he said happened, he just neglected to point out the very limited choice I had in what I did back then."

After a sip of her coffee, Quinn let her eyes meet those of the reporter as she began to recount what exactly her childhood was like. It was an edited version of course, mentioning the explosive relationship between her mother and father before her mom's abrupt disappearing act. She went on to say that yes she had been part of her father's backroom card games, but not through choice, mostly because she wanted to avoid a beating and eat for a change. She told of her father's duplicity being discovered by one of the men responsible for organising the games (she was careful to not mention any names for her _and_ the reporter's safety) and her subsequent 'sale' to said man. She glossed over what exactly happened when she was in this man's ownership, Nicole took the hint and didn't ask for any more than Quinn was willing to give, quite frankly she was amazed the woman was as…together as she was given all of that, so she decided to tell her as much.

"Quinn, before we go any further with this interview, I would just like to say that _I _for one think you are one very strong lady, to go through all that and still be where and who you are now…well, frankly it's amazing."

Quinn would have ducked her head at that but Rachel didn't let her, she made sure to catch the blonde's eye, infusing her smile with as much love and pride as she was capable of. Comforted as she always was, by the honesty and depth of emotion in the diva's brown eyes, Quinn instead cleared her throat and acknowledged the compliment.

"I…well thanks…like I said, I wasn't always the nicest person as a teenager or indeed an adult, but my family, and Rachel and her dads have been here for me, helping me to be a better person…well, giving me the confidence to be the person I always was inside I guess."

Nodding politely, the reporter decided that Quinn had had enough of the spotlight for a while and turned to Rachel to address her next question.

"Rachel, I'm assuming all of this is not news to you, how did _you_ feel about Quinn having such a...colourful past, for lack of a better word?"

The hockey player hadn't realised she had held her breath at that question until the brunette answered with an easy smile.

"_Everyone_ has a past Nic, but that's exactly what it is, _the past_. It doesn't have to be held onto to define who you want to be, and it _can_ be learnt from. Quinn is the harshest critic I know when it comes to doubting her self-worth, but she's _not_ her father, she never could be. More importantly than that, she is much more than just the sum of her past mistakes, both bad and good."

She shifted in her seat, moving one hand from the back of the blonde's neck to prop her head up as she directed the second half of her answer to Quinn rather than to Nicole. This was the time, she decided, the time to let the world and the hockey player herself know that what they had was real, and wasn't going away.

"When I look at Quinn I don't see a foster child, I don't see a criminal, I don't see a thug and I don't see a womaniser. What I _**DO**_ see is a fiercely dedicated skater, a strong family woman with wonderful parents and siblings to back her up. I see someone who keeps an eye out for snails on the ground when we go running after it's rained just so she doesn't step on them. I see the woman who always remembers to pack my lucky earrings when I forget, and makes sure we never end up late for anything because she knows how it makes me a little crazy. In short, I see the wonderful person that Quinn Fabray is, the person that I love with all my heart and intend to spend the rest of my life with…and if no one else can see that, or chooses not to then it's their loss."

Quinn leaned forward closer to Rachel, partly to cover the fact the damn woman had caused tears to gather in her eyes, and partly so she could whisper low enough for the diva alone to hear her as she gently brushed the tip of her nose over Rachel's (and completely missed Nicole taking a photo of the moment).

"I'm not going _anywhere_ after a speech like that…though I'm looking forward to you trying to top it when it comes to writing our wedding vows!"

Nose crinkling in amusement at the blondes quip, Rachel replied smartly.

"Just you wait and see Gretzky, just you wait and see!"

Closing the last few centimetres between them, Quinn figured as Rachel had pretty much just blown wide open the fact that, as rumour suggested, they _were_ in fact a couple, there was no harm in giving her a proper kiss. Closed mouth of course as they _were_ still in an interview after all! The reporter cleared her throat delicately until she had the duo's attention once more; settling back into each other's arms, Quinn pointed her finger like a gun.

"Fire away with the next one LL!"

Rachel raised a questioning eyebrow.

"LL?"

The blonde's eyes widened as she explained.

"You know…Lois Lane! LL; like, the most famous fictional reporter in the world, the one you dressed up for our last free skate routine?"

When the brunette continued to look blank, Quinn groaned before face palming.

"We are _so_ giving you an education when it comes to super hero films princess!"

Shaking her head in fond exasperation, the diva turned her attention back to the amused reporter; Nicole gave way to her amusement, chuckling slightly as she spoke.

"That is _adorable_, _you two_ are adorable! And perhaps, dare I say it, the new fairy tale on ice, Torville and who? So, what do your families think of your relationship being more than professional?"

Rachel grinned widely as she thought of her two amazing dad's and Quinn's moms, not to mention Dave and Santana.

"Oh they're all for it, they _were_ worried at first, but not because of whom we are, more because they were concerned about how the press would present us, um…no offence intended of course!"

Smirking crookedly, the blonde let loose a chuckle.

"Way to go princess, alienating the press, _while_ talking to the press!"

Rachel aimed a good natured swipe at the hockey player's leg which she avoided, and another at her side which she didn't.

"Oh hush you! She knows I didn't mean anything by it, and they_ have_ been supportive you certainly can't deny that!"

Laughing, Quinn nodded her acquiescence to that point.

"True, in fact in the case of Santana she's been a little _too_ supportive, I swear she's as invested in us as we are!"

Nicole made a note in her pad before asking.

"And Santana would be?"

Rachel opened her mouth to reply but Quinn beat her to it.

"My pain in the ass sister, unless you put this sentence in print, in which case what I _actually_ said was 'my amazing wonderful sister' okay?"

The little diva shook her head before commenting.

"Oh _please,_ you two love each other to bits and you know it, plus she has been pretty great, even if it does gall you to admit it!"

Quinn merely grunted her reply but the smile never left her face, nor did the twinkle in her eye as Rachel went on to give examples of how great the two families had been about their relationship and making them each feel part of the others family. She included Quinn's inviting her to her family home for thanksgiving, and of course the shared Christmas which she still counted as her best Christmas ever…even topping the one where she got her first set of skates and fell in love with figure skating. The reporter couldn't help but be warmed by the news that not only had the two women found each other, as well as something seemingly very special, but had gained wonderful extended families from it.

"That's fantastic, the fact that you both have such accepting families, especially since that is not considered 'the norm'. The world would definitely be a better more tolerant place if more families were open like yours. Alright, as much as I've enjoyed this segue; it's back to a couple more skating questions before we wrap up this interview!"

Quinn gave an exaggerated groan and flopped around on the sofa doing her best impression of a surly teenager.

"Oh God, do we _have_ to!"

Rachel patted her on the head indulgently before winking at Nicole.

"Ignore her; she gets cranky if she goes without peanut butter for more than a couple of hours!"

Charmed by the honest and amusing interaction between the two skaters, Nicole found herself sneaking another quick photo of Quinn as she pulled her best indignant expression while Rachel looked on, laughing. Looking back down to her notes, the reporter skipped over a couple of the more personal questions she had decided to drop and went for the next logical one.

"Are you two at all worried that your relationship off the ice may affect your performance _on_ the ice?"

Rachel pursed her lips in thought for a moment at that question while Quinn frowned, trying to think if it had been much of a problem so far, it was the brunette that answered first.

"I don't _think_ so; I mean there's been nothing major so far, occasionally we'll disagree about whether or not we've perfected certain moves, whether or not a move or lift is smooth enough to take into competition, but nothing that's caused us any major disagreements?"

She looked to the hockey player for confirmation and Quinn just nodded in agreement before adding.

"I think the nearest we got to an argument affecting us off as well as on the ice was when I wanted to try a move that is a little dangerous and in fact borders on being illegal in competition…but even that had little to do with skating, just us being a bit thick headed about something and it came out the wrong way. Even then our families are there to help point things out, plus the whole relationship thing is new to both of us really. But no, I think in general we're pretty good at keeping the two things separate and if there ever _is_ a crossover then we have Will and two sets of parents to point it out."

Rachel couldn't help but add to that.

"Plus, when we hit the ice in a competition the only thing on both our minds is the routine and nailing it perfectly."

Quinn nodded in agreement, pointing to the little diva.

"Word!"

Two sets of eyebrows rose at that and Rachel only just managed to suppress her snort of amusement, Nicole wasn't quite as successful as the brunette sputtered.

"Did you _really_ just say that?"

Shrugging nonchalantly, the hockey player waved a hand.

"Yeah, all the cool kids are saying it you're just not down with the youth of today Rach!"

Choosing for the moment to ignore the grinning blonde beside her, Rachel turned imploring eyes towards the highly amused reporter.

"You soooooo cannot put that in the article!"

Nicole just smirked and lowered her eyes to her notepad again.

"We'll see…now, where were we, ah yes! Quinn, I know that Rachel is the one with the ice skating background and as such, most would assume she'd take the lead in making decisions for your partnership. What I want to know is if she ever lets you make decisions about your performances and routine?"

Rachel immediately nodded while Quinn wobbled a hand side to side before breaking down in a grin at the diva's aggrieved expression.

"Actually, it's _always_ been a joint thing…right from the start in fact, we tend to throw ideas out there and see what the other thinks. Sometimes it's not at all viable but other times we can see a way to make something work, sometimes it's an idea that doesn't seem like an obvious choice at first. I mean, I have always loved the Superman movies and that theme tune gets me every time, I hear the opening bars and the goose pimples are there! I floated the idea, jokingly at first, but as you saw in the last competition we made it work on the ice. We both have input with our make-up and costume design, and the guys who do it, Jason and Isaac are _amazing_…most times we can sketch out a rough idea of what we think might look good and they'll take it and find a way to _make_ it work."

Rachel jumped in.

"I have to admit that sometimes it takes me a while to see what Quinn can see when she hears a particular piece of music or song to me, but once she shows me the way it is in her head I tend to agree…not all the time, just mostly. She's certainly had more interest and input than any other partner I've had, not just with me but like she just said, with Will, Jason and Isaac as well."

Smirking widely, the hockey player poked Rachel playfully in the side as she commented.

"Now all I have to do is convince you the _Batman_ idea is a good one!"

Sighing dramatically, the diva rolled her eyes at the long standing joke.

"That will _never_ happen, purely for the reason that last time we even played around with the idea you spent a week calling_ both_ my fathers Alfred and whispering 'I'm Batman' at every conceivable opportunity! After that, everyone except you begged me to never let it happen again."

Mock scowling, the blonde sank lower into her seat but didn't protest when Rachel ruffled her hair playfully. Realising she only had a couple of questions left to ask, Nicole was surprised to find she was disappointed, this truly had been one of her most pleasant interviews and she was loath for it to end, she suspected however that the two skaters felt quite the opposite! Smiling internally she asked the next question.

"Rachel, how has Quinn becoming your partner changed you, as a skater or personally? And Quinn, the same question goes for you, how has Rachel becoming your ice skating partner changed you?"

Tugging on her ear, the hockey player looked lost in thought as she tried to find a way to condense everything the diva had done for her into a few sentences…and found it to be an impossible task.

"Wow, tough question, not because I don't have an answer but because I'm trying to find one that say's everything without ending up as long as the bill of rights! Okay, well um…I guess the simplest way to put it is that Rachel changed everything without changing anything. I know that makes no sense but bear with me here and I'll try and explain it, Rachel was a pain in my ass to begin with, she pushed every button I had and then some. But, and this is an important but, she also made me feel, for the first time in ages I started to really connect not just with how I felt but also what was causing it. With that rush of feelings I also rediscovered my belief, my belief in myself, in my family, in people in general and…well, that good things don't always have to come with an attached tragedy, ya know? It was all stuff I already knew but something had blocked me from the knowledge, she just showed it to me again. As for skating, it would take me way too long to explain everything, but believe me when I say being on the ice has gone from something I enjoyed to something I live for and that is due, in part, to the fact I have an amazing partner whose willing to be patient with me…except for anything concerning toe picks that is!"

Brown eyes which had been shining with joy, narrowed playfully as the diva pointed a finger at the giggling (yes, giggling) hockey player.

"And you were so close to me revealing the whereabouts of the last packet of peanut butter cups! Oh well I'm sure daddy will enjoy them!"

Ignoring the sputtered apology from the blonde sat next to her, it was Rachel's turn to smirk as she answered the question.

"I think it's safe to say that if you asked any of my previous skating partners they would tell you I was a nightmare, far too controlled, and far too obsessed with perfection. Quinn reminded me that it's okay to live a little, that sometimes perfection isn't all it's cracked up to be. I mean, on the ice we still strive for perfection but it's a _different _type of perfection, I actually feel the music again, I'm in touch with my body, the rhythm and the routine which gives me a type of perfect that even the best technical skater can't achieve. I think that was what was missing before; why I never got as far as Olympic selection despite being paired with excellent technical skaters…I couldn't _feel_ what I was doing, because I didn't _believe_ in it. My dad says he can see the difference when I skate now because I enjoy it like I used to, and he's right, I do. As for off the ice, well that's the same really, I no longer see life as a challenge to be mastered but as a gift to be treasured. I mean, you heard some of what Quinn has been through and if she can still see the good stuff in the world and stop every now and again to just check out the scenery; then there sure as hell is no good reason that I shouldn't be doing the same."

Pausing to wink at the brunette who was red faced after such an emotional outpouring, Quinn turned to Nicole and commented wryly.

"So…the _short_ answer is we changed each other a lot but not really, maybe just woke each other up to things we'd forgotten."

In a unique role reversal, the normally verbose diva was the one to hike a thumb in the hockey player's direction and say succinctly.

"What she just said."

Both Nicole (who was well aware of the brunette's tendency towards long winded answers) and Quinn laughed at that. Draining the last of her coffee the reporter looked to her pad before flipping it closed, smiling challengingly and asking the last question on her list.

"And Quinn, one last question, you have to choose: hockey or ice skating?"

Wincing dramatically, the blonde tugged thoughtfully on her ear, eyes darting between Rachel and the reporter.

"Hmm, oh wow, end with a toughie huh? _Well_, I do like being on the ice slamming a puck into the back of the net with a load of other meatheads, gives you one hell of a rush you know? _But_…that would of course mean being on the ice without the princess here, and somehow, and by the way I can't _believe_ I'm saying anything quite this mushy, but being on the ice without her doesn't feel right anymore. Figure skating and Rachel would be my choice…_every time_."

Rachel's eyes lit up at the answer, not that she'd ever doubted it, and leaning forward she rewarded Quinn with a soft kiss.

"Well in _that_ case, I guess you get those peanut butter cups after all."

Grinning happily the hockey player did a little sit down victory shimmy, arms raised triumphantly.

"Yay for Fabray fuel!"

The little diva's eyes twinkled lasciviously as she echoed the sentiment.

"Yay indeed."

Half regretful of having to interrupt the tender moment the reporter cleared her throat and upon regaining the couple's attention smiled politely.

"Okay, well that's the awkward questioning part done and I managed to get plenty of candid shots while we were talking, however, if it would be okay with you guys I figured we could get a few shots of you in action, maybe just out and about…do you have a favourite spot?"

Both skaters mind immediately flew to the wooded grove by the lake where they routinely watched the sunrise on their morning runs. After a quick talk and Quinn reluctantly agreeing to use the crutches to get around; to avoid further ankle damage, they chose a few spots that they agreed would make for good photos. it took a couple of hours, because as usual on their day off the two women were apt to goofing around, something the reporter secretly loved as it gave her dozens more candid shots. Eventually though she had a handful of pictures, some taken by the lake with Quinn attempting, once again, to teach Rachel how to skip stones. Some more of them on, or around the rink, and lastly a cute one of them cuddled on their sofa in the den next to the kitchen.

It was early evening by the time Hiram was handing his friend her coat again, hugging tightly before saying their goodbye's, Nicole promising to e-mail them an advance copy of the article and copies of the photos she'd taken. After bidding the redhead goodbye, Quinn and Rachel headed upstairs to cuddle up on the huge comfy bed and lose themselves in a few episodes of Perception. The credits were rolling on the third consecutive episode when the little diva piped up sleepily, apropos of nothing.

"You know if you ever wanted to play hockey again I would learn and play with you."

Unsure if she'd actually heard the words or if her sleepy brain had imagined them, Quinn turned a raised eyebrow the brunette's direction.

"Um…say what?"

Smiling slightly Rachel reiterated, turning to lie on her side, propping her head in one hand.

"I just meant…if you ever decided that hockey is where your true sporting heart lay then you wouldn't lose me, I'd just need to learn a different skill set is all, and, um how to use hockey skates of course."

The hockey player giggled.

"I'm happy with figure skating princess; besides you're kind of weeny to be out on the ice with a bunch of bruisers don't you think?"

Trying to beef up her height and muscle as much as she could whilst laying down, the diva smirked before reminding Quinn.

"I'm pretty nippy, and if I remember correctly, I have _quite_ a mean slap shot!"

Touching the bump in the bridge of her nose, the blonde smiled ruefully.

"Don't remind me! But seriously Rae, I love figure skating, sure I love hockey but in a different way, it gives you a _different_ kind of buzz."

Frowning thoughtfully, Rachel inadvertently surprised Quinn a second time that night.

"Would you teach me anyway, to play ice hockey I mean?"

Blinking hazel eyes in shock, it took the hockey player a moment to find her voice.

"I, ah…I mean if you want then yeah, I'd love to, why now though?"

Shrugging, the brunette shifted to lay her head on Quinn's chest, smiling sleepily as her hand shifted across to lay gently on the delineated abdominal muscles under the blondes T-shirt.

"Because you love it and I want to know more about it, maybe see if I can see what you see, it's definitely fun to watch…just don't tell Santana or shell blackmail my fathers into taking pictures of me learning."

Chuckling in silent agreement of the diva's assessment of her sister, Quinn placed a gentle kiss on the top of Rachel's head, her own hand sliding under the brunette's hockey shirt to rest on her hip.

"You got it princess, it'll be our secret…now let's snuggle down okay so I can forget I have three hours of painful physio in the morning."

Smirking slightly, Rachel moved so she was straddling the prostate hockey player and turning off the TV, threw the remote carelessly to one side.

"Well in that case, I have _much_ better ways of distracting you Gretzky…"

Raising a challenging eyebrow, the blonde watched as her partner slowly lowered her lips towards her own, ducking to the side at the last minute and catching the sensitive of her collarbone lightly between her teeth.

"Oh…I see what you…good god that _is_ distracting!"

Those were the last words spoken for a good hour or so as Quinn decided to give herself over completely to the brunette's _extremely_ pleasant distraction techniques.

_I know it's so late half of you have probably jumped ship and for that I apologise, however on the plus side all my medical exams came back negative and I'm looking to returning to work in the next few weeks so things are most definitely 'on the up' as we say here in the good old U.K! For those of you still reading you have my thanks, love and apologies and a promise that the next chapter will indeed feature Rachel's first hockey lesson. I do however have the temerity to ask you guys for a favour…well, two actually but they're sort of linked, kinda, if you squint maybe?! Firstly although I never outright ask, it would be good if you reviewed this just so I get an idea of how many people are still reading. Secondly I am also in the process of setting up a webpage where my stories are going to be available to download as free E-Books, as such I __**REALLY **__need some cover art, so if any of you are artistic or know someone who is pleeeassseeeee let me know or send me some artwork and you could be on the cover (digitally but it still counts) my e-mail is bxmrphy aol. com. obviously without the spaces! Look forward to hearing from you on either topic! XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO B _


	26. Chapter 26

"I _**HATE**_ physio! I hate it more than going to the dentist, getting made up for shows _and _sitting through costume fittings combined!"

Sitting down with a heavy thump into the overstuffed chair in the den, Quinn scowled and propped her damaged foot on the cushion that Rachel had already set up for her on the coffee table. Raising a dark eyebrow in mild amusement, the diva handed over a bottle of Gatorade and two painkillers before replying.

"I don't think there's a sports person out there who actually _enjoys_ it Gretzky, as it generally means they've been injured."

Blowing out an irritated breath, the hockey player swallowed the pain pills and settled back into the chair grouchily.

"I know…but I reserve the right to bitch about it, and as my significant other you have to let me do so, _and_ be sympathetic about it."

Smiling soothingly, Rachel made a great production of assuming her features into an exaggerated show of sympathy before carefully patting Quinn on the head twice.

"There, there dear."

Glaring for a long moment, the blonde inevitably found she couldn't hold onto her irritation, and as her face melted into a smirk she lightly punched the brunette's leg.

"You're just lucky I love you…cos you're kind of a jerk Berry!"

Grinning back, the diva sank into the chair opposite Quinn and sipped at her coffee before riposting casually.

"And you're kind of a whiny baby Fabray."

Lacking the energy to reply with any panache, the hockey player simply blew a raspberry before drinking the blue sports drink thirstily. Rachel winked with another giggle before stifling a yawn, while Quinn had been put through rigorous stretching exercises and physio; she had taken a six mile run and put in her regular practice hours on the ice. Both were exhausted as despite the hockey player being temporarily benched they had still been working just as hard, Quinn had just had to refocus her exercises on her upper body. Leroy and Hiram were off scouting out sites for a new project that they were working on; apparently a 'super top secret one' as they wouldn't even tell Rachel what it was about. With the house to themselves the two women had planned for a quiet evening in the hot tub followed by Chinese take-out and a _Lost Girl_ marathon, however at that precise moment Quinn was questioning if she had the energy to even make it to the hot tub.

"I don't suppose we could magic the hot tub here could we?"

Rachel finished her coffee and setting the mug aside with a small smile, allowed her own socked foot to gently rub against Quinn's injured one.

"Sadly no, my invitation to study at Hogwarts must have gotten lost in the mail!"

Rolling her eyes, the hockey player's big toe pressed down on Rachel's playful one in a vague attempt at toe wrestling as she lazily drawled.

"Hogwarts uses owls so the mail isn't an excuse, you just can't admit you're merely a muggle."

Huffing in feigned irritably, Rachel tossed her hair over her shoulders and after pulling her toe out from under the blondes and pressing it down gently, haughtily replied.

"I'll have you know that if I had gone to Hogwarts there wouldn't have been any of this 'boy who lives' nonsense as I would have been the centre of attention!"

Chuckling as she idly continued their odd little game of footsy/toe wars, Quinn raised an eyebrow.

"Of course you would…my little Slytherin!"

Gasping loudly the diva covered her open mouth with a shocked hand.

"How dare you, I would not have been a Slytherin, I'm good and virtuous, I just also happen to know what I want and am not afraid to go after it."

Raising a triumphant eyebrow, Quinn pointed her finger at the diva and grinned.

"Which is_ exactly_ what a Slytherin is like, Sorry to burst your bubble there princess but you pretty much just made my point for me!"

Opening and closing her mouth for a few moments, Rachel eventually slumped in her seat and crossing her arms scowled playfully.

"Whatever, you're just bitter because you'd be a Hufflepuff!"

It was Quinn's turn to stare open mouthed in shock this time, and after flapping her jaw for a few moments she finally managed to reply.

"Well…you're wrong, so there, I would be much more likely to be in Slytherin or Gryfindor!"

Grinning smugly, the diva shook her head as she managed to pin the surprised hockey player's big toe with her own.

"Nuh uh, and I can even back up my statement with facts!"

Folding her arms challengingly, Quinn nodded.

"Go on then, astound me with your logic…oh wise and muggle like one!"

Ignoring the muggle insult for the moment, Rachel settled even further into her seat and held up one hand happily as she began to count down the reasons on her fingers.

"Okay, firstly, you are hyper intelligent even though you seem to prefer hiding it which makes you more of a candidate for Ravenclaw than it does Gryfindor. However, as they are more cold academics than they are anything else that also counts you out because you have far too much of a sense of fun! Secondly, you care too much about people and their lives, so while the sharp intelligence doesn't preclude you from Slytherin, the caring does."

Huffing slightly, the hockey player drained the last of her drink and mumbled.

"Well, okay but that still doesn't explain why you would preclude me from Gryfindor and come to the conclusion that Hufflepuff would be my house!"

Grinning cheekily, Rachel shrugged.

"Oh that's an easy one!"

Sliding from her seat she moved across the table and gently manoeuvred herself into the surprised but pleased Quinn's lap before murmuring.

"You look so much hotter in yellow than you do in red!"

If someone were to ask Quinn later on, she would deny that the surprised little squeak that occurred was hers; in fact she'd threaten to bury anyone who ever mentioned it again. But as the diva's lips descended eagerly on hers she did indeed give out a surprised exclamation before eagerly responding. Several very heavy, hot and glorious moments later she blinked dazed hazel eyes and smiled dopily. Grinning in triumph, Rachel rested her forehead on the hockey players before whispering huskily.

"Any further arguments from you on this subject?"

After a moment to find her voice and drag her mind out of the carnal maelstrom it had been whirling around in, Quinn cleared her throat and with an indulgent eye roll shook her head.

"Not from this Hufflepuff ma'am."

Smiling sweetly Rachel leant forward to press a last light kiss to the tip of the blonde's nose before rising gracefully to her feet.

"Now, we have about two hours before your mom's are due to call us on Skype, so get that cute butt of yours in gear and let's go soak the aches out of our muscles."

Assuming her best puss in boot's eyes, the hockey player sighed melodramatically as she flapped her arms about.

"But I'm _sooooooooo_ tired princess I don't think I can face picking up those damn crutches again."

Directing a scowl at the offending articles Will insisted she used until further notice, Quinn sulkily re-crossed her arms. Smirking softly, Rachel tilted her head to one side as she thought for a moment. Then, with her smirk widening in a very worrying way she bent down and muttered into her partner's ear.

"Just remember, you asked for this Fabray!"

Before Quinn could think about, let alone ask, what the diva meant she found herself picked up bridal style and flushed a deep red. As Rachel carried her from the room she managed to sputter out something that _might_, with careful translation, be described as a question. Assuming it was, the brunette shrugged a shoulder and commented.

"It seemed the easiest and fastest way to get you to the hot tub without your whining…and also because it's nice for me to be doing the manly stuff for a change, and for you to allow me to do so."

The last part was added in a pleased whisper, and despite a lifelong instinct to always be the carer as opposed to the caree; Quinn let herself relax before replying with an equally soft smile.

"Only you get that privilege princess…only you."

Rachel's pleased smile was so bright it could have guided lost ships home to port, Quinn allowed herself to bask in it as they made their way to the room which housed the hot tub. Ninety minutes later, both girls felt a pleasant lassitude settle over them as their bones and muscles finally released all the aches and pains they'd been holding onto. They were settled on the big bed in Rachel's room, dressed in sleeping shorts and T-shirts. Rachel's was the family photo one she had liberated from Quinn's wardrobe, while Quinn herself had donned her Riddler one, the laptop was open and sat between them as they finished the last of their Chinese meal. They were busy giggling and fighting over the last of the broccoli florets with chopsticks when the laptop chimed with an incoming Skype call, eyes lighting up with a joy that a year ago she would have masked, Quinn gave up and pressed the accept button as the diva triumphantly snagged the treat and demolished it with a smug grin. Lily and Sofia grinned into the camera and though both looked exhausted, they were also very obviously happy and in love all over again. Swallowing the lump in her throat at the very obvious display of affection between her foster parents, the hockey player cleared her throat and managed a teasing tone.

"I'm hoping you two look so tired because you're exhausted from the post-operative exercises and _not_ because of doing things that parents don't do!"

Raising an eyebrow, Sofia huffed and glanced at her blushing wife.

"None of your business kiddo…but it's a little of both!"

Smirking at the outraged and disgusted expression that washed across Quinn's face, Sofia found herself ducking the playful swipe of her wife's admonishing hand as their daughter whined out.

"Geez mom, you can't say it's none of my business, _and then_ basically tell me you've been doing things! Gross mom…_rea_l gross!"

Rachel soothingly ran a hand across Quinn's shoulders and smiled happily at the two women on the other end of the call.

"Ignore her, she's being grouchy because of her physiotherapy…I think it's wonderful that you both look so happy!"

Pinning Rachel with one of her 'looks' Quinn deadpanned.

"How about I ask _your_ dad's about their sex lives princess?"

Shuddering slightly, the diva turned back to the screen and rapidly changed the subject.

"So, how are the exercises going, is everything okay?"

Trying not to laugh too obviously over the rapid change of subject, Lily sat back in her chair while Sofia continued to rub her shoulders almost absent mindedly.

"Things are going really well actually kiddo, I'm walking again for a few hours a day but my muscles are protesting the sudden onslaught of use. Luckily your mom is an amazing masseuse, not to mention the staff here are _very_ experienced with this sort of thing."

Beaming widely, Quinn wished she could hug her parents to share her joy at the news, in lieu of them she pulled Rachel to her who was happy to act as substitute.

"That's _great_ news mom, when are you guys going to come home though, I think Leroy wants another get together as soon as possible, not to mention Rachel's been worrying like mad!"

Rolling her eyes the brunette cleared her throat and pinned the hockey player with a pointed look. After a moment, Quinn huffed and playing idly with the hem of her T-shirt mumbled out.

"And I guess…_maybe_, I kinda miss you too."

Her parent's smiled softly and Lily kissed the tips of her fingers before pressing them to the monitor.

"We miss you guys too, it's not the same without you and Santana irritating each other constantly, poor old Dave trying his best to keep the peace…we should be home the beginning of next month though."

Quinn's eyes lit up happily at the news and she turned to Rachel with a wide grin.

"Hey, that means they can come watch us at nationals!"

Rachel laughed at the obvious unrestrained delight on her partners face, and after taking a moment to relish in how proud Quinn now was of the work they did together, nodded as she turned to the monitor again.

"Daddy already has seats booked for you all so there's no need to worry about any of that, I think he's even already arranging a plane to fly Santana, Brittany and Dave out so all you have to do is be ready…if your doctor will clear you to attend that is?"

Sofia opened her mouth to reply but Lily nodded defiantly, arms crossing in a gesture that immediately reminded the diva of Quinn.

"We'll be there, even if I have to be in the damned chair to do it, I'm not missing my baby girl and her partner kick ass at nationals!"

Squirming at the affectionate name Quinn found herself blushing a deep red, which delighted Rachel and amused Sofia to no end. The fire officer found she couldn't help but exaggerate a pout as she cooed.

"Aw, is my big bad Quinn blushing cos her mommies love her?"

Half glaring and half smiling at Sofia, Quinn waved a warning finger.

"Mock all you want mom, I'm storing this all up for one fine moment of revenge you won't forget!"

Smirking widely, Sofia pulled Lily into her lap before patting the monitor placatingly as though it was the hockey players head.

"Of course you will baby, of course you will!"

Laughing at the gentle teasing from her parents, Quinn settled back and ran her hand idly through Rachel's hair as the little diva talked eagerly about what National's entailed and what would happen each day. Eventually Sofia interrupted with a question that Quinn hadn't even considered, at least not in any serious way.

"Are you guys worried at all, not so much about nationals but when you qualify for the Olympic team…"

Quinn, ever the realist, interrupted smoothly.

"_IF_ we get selected…"

Pointedly ignoring the interruption, the fire officer continued her question.

"_When_ you get selected for the Olympic team, are you worried about the reception you might get in Sochi, I mean…it's in the news pretty much constantly all the time, their war on homosexuality."

Frowning slightly, Quinn scratched her nose as she thought it over, eventually she shrugged it off.

"We're going there to skate, to represent our Country, a country which despite its many faults is a pretty freaking great place to live. I may not like the fact that in certain states I can't marry and in others I'm more likely to be murdered than I am smiled at…but we're getting there, which is a damn site more than Russia is at the moment. I'm not going to make a point of it unless someone else does, if that happens then yeah, I'll defend my love because it's the most natural and amazing thing that's ever happened to me. If we don't go then things might never change, I realise the chance of attack might be there, but we have worked damn hard for the chance to skate for our country and _if_ we get that chance then no one, and I mean _no one_, is going to take it away from us."

She glanced belatedly at Rachel and rubbed the back of her neck before hastily adding.

"Um, at least that's the way I think but…"

Cutting her off with a soft kiss, the diva rested her forehead briefly against Quinn's before turning to face the two concerned women on the monitor.

"I couldn't have put it better myself; lord knows there are _bound_ to be incidents regarding homosexuality, especially given the fact that figure skating in general is quite a gay sport."

Shaking her head slightly Lily stifled a yawn, but not discreetly enough for Sofia to miss it.

"Alright kiddos, well we need to hit the hay because your mom just doesn't have the stamina she once did!"

Heaving a world weary sigh Sofia broke into laughter at the combined 'SOFIA!' that came from a shocked Lily and the 'Ewwww mom!' that a freshly squirming Quinn whined out. After exchanging goodbyes, and a promise to snail mail an advanced copy of the magazine that was to feature their interview when it arrived, they signed off. Setting the laptop to one side Rachel snuggled down in the bed, gently dragging the sleepy hockey player with her.

"Well, they seemed really happy Gretzky, and it looks like Lily is really reacting well to the treatment. Not that it stops them worrying about us obviously; I mean the anti-gay laws in Russia are likely to make this Olympics potentially explosive. And although I hate to say it, with an invite to National's and our interview due to hit the shelves in the next fortnight, the press are likely to be all over us."

Groaning slightly, Quinn muttered something that Rachel was ninety percent certain was probably foul in nature, before she could ask what it was exactly however, Quinn blew her hair out of her eyes and sighed.

"Unfortunately bias like this is seemingly _always_ going to exist, mostly because it comes from fear, and fear sadly is one of the human races primal emotions. I think though, that even if there were to be trouble at the games, both the organisation and Russia itself will do their best to keep it under wraps. Having said that…if any ignorant douchebag chooses to even sneer at you, then I reserve the right to react appropriately!"

Chuckling Rachel pulled the hockey player closer to her, enjoying that she got to be the big spoon while Quinn's ankle healed.

"Now, now…you handled that last interview wonderfully, and let's face it, after they see our compulsory skate the only thing anyone is going to want to ask us is how we got to be so goddamn awesome!"

Giggling (which in itself revealed how tired she was, she only ever giggled when she was tired) the hockey player pulled Rachel's arms tighter around her.

"Good point, and with any luck, Jesse will fall on the ice, break his nose and wash out of National's so he isn't even _on_ the Olympic team."

Rachel chuckled then yawed before muttering.

"Now that's a lovely thought to take with me into sweet dreams."

Quinn's only reply was a slight snore as she was already fast asleep.

Two days later the advanced copies of the magazine arrived and Quinn found herself on the front cover of something other than the latest police bulletin. Blinking slightly she couldn't help but smirk at the picture chosen of them to grace the front of the magazine. It was one of the ones Nicole had obviously taken candidly as they were sat close together on the sofa, giggling happily as they played their usual game of thumb wars. Rachel came up behind her and sliding her arms round her waist pulled her closer as she rested her chin on one shoulder.

"What do you think Gretzky?"

Despite her best efforts, the little diva couldn't quite keep the faint tremor of nervousness from her voice as she asked the question. After all, Quinn had made it clear that she did NOT like the press, and had, had to make a tremendous effort just to accept them when they were a necessary evil. To both their surprise however she smiled widely and regarded the magazine wonderingly, one finger tracing over the smiles on both of their faces.

"I think…that I love the fact the world can see how happy you make me, and how happy I make you."

Squeezing the hockey player closer to her, Rachel pressed a series of butterfly kisses down the graceful arch of her neck before murmuring.

"You say the sweetest things sometimes Gretzky…and the interview itself is pretty much exactly as we remember it, she hasn't added or detracted anything. She _does_ give her impressions of us which are actually quite sweet, at this rate you're going to totally lose your hard ass image you know."

Dropping the magazine onto the side table, Quinn turned within the circle of the diva's arms and stealing a kiss, tilted her head to one side as she exaggeratedly furrowed her brow.

"You know that's impossible right? I mean I _am_ a hard ass after all, I just have occasional mushy moments when _you're_ around, you are my kryptonite Berry, and I trust you to only use that power when you have to!"

Mock solemnly, Rachel nodded her head.

"Of course…and that's why I never mentioned that when you're ill you like to curl up in your Batman onesie with camomile tea and watch marathons of Victorious and iCarly."

Placing her finger to her lips, the hockey player hissed out a quick shush, which Rachel of course ignored.

"Or that if you see a kitten you turn into one of those simpering types and can only communicate in baby talk."

Narrowing her eyes dangerously, Quinn spoke in a level tone.

"Did you _not_ just hear the very pointed shush I gave you Berry!"

Shrugging good naturedly, the diva kissed the tip of Quinn's nose and smiled happily.

"I heard it…but I didn't pay any attention to it, that's the advantage of being someone's kryptonite you know!"

Rolling her eyes Quinn couldn't help grinning as she checked the time and with a heavy sigh gestured towards the door.

"Come on, we better go meet Will, he wants us to have a brainstorming session, make final choices on the music and costumes for our National's routines…I take it Batman is still a no?"

Putting her fisted hands pointedly on her hips, Rachel raised both eyebrows, after a moment's silence the hockey player grinned and held her hands up in surrender.

"I was just checking!"

Ducking the cushion that the little diva had tossed at her playfully, Quinn resignedly picked up her crutches and they made their way over to the rink where Will was already setting out sheets of paper with ideas on them. Some were his own from years ago, some were ones Rachel had wanted to do but had been unable to find a partner capable of doing so, and some were the ones all three of them had come up with in the last year or so. Grinning at them happily he pulled the hockey players chair out for her and waited for them all get comfortable.

"Right, we have now received our official 'invitation' to National's so the planning stage is in full swing, I realise this is the arguing stage for want of a better word but we need to really wow them in this competition, but at the same time keep _something_ in reserve that we know will completely blow away the judges at Sochi!"

Quinn glanced at Rachel, then Will, then the table pointedly.

"So…shine, but don't burst into a supernova yet?"

Pinning her with a huge grin, Will nodded enthusiastically as he pushed a pile of the papers towards her.

"Bingo! And towards that end, I want you to go through the pile of ideas you have there and pick two, then grab Rachel's pile and do the same while I go through mine. At the end we should have six ideas each that we can concentrate on…okay?"

Looking at the pile of over twenty sheets in her hand, Quinn narrowed her eyes playfully.

"I hate you Schuster! I just want you to know that!"

Winking happily he sat down and armed with coffee, pastries and a free afternoon they started to pick through the skeletons of ideas that were laid out in front of them. Some were dated and dismissed immediately, but those were few and far between and all three of them found that whittling down the suggestions to only eighteen was a lot harder than they originally envisioned. Six hours, three pots of coffee and over a dozen cheese Danishes later, Rachel stretched in her seat and groaned slightly as muscles that had been trapped in the same position for far too long protested.

"Remind me why we never cleared out the idea file before now?"

Will scratched his head slightly and with a shrug admitted.

"Well, we've never really been in a position this close to the Olympic team before, however we've done it now and although we've only managed to narrow it down to nine it's something."

Checking her watch, Quinn realised she was due another physiotherapy session with Will and that was why they were calling a halt to the brainstorming session. In a last ditch attempt to wiggle out of another two hours of agony she couldn't help suggesting.

"Maybe we should forge ahead with this, get it all done in one hit?"

Her only answer was two very pointed looks, slumping back in her seat and murmuring that it was 'worth a try' the hockey player helped to gather up the ideas they were still considering before placing the discarded ones back in the folder. As Will headed over towards the gym and physical fitness suite, Rachel slid herself into Quinn's lap and stole a kiss, pulling back after a moment, the blonde murmured.

"Is that supposed to make me less sulky about being twisted and pummelled for two hours?"

Rachel merely smiled.

"Did it work?"

At the little smirk on the brunettes face, Quinn couldn't help but grin back before rolling her eyes.

"I hate that you know me so well sometimes!"

Helping the hockey player to stand, Rachel passed her the crutches and smiled serenely.

"No you don't, now go be a good patient and I'll make that Bolognese you like, I might even let you watch Lost Girl some more…despite the fact you drool _way_ too much when watching that show!"

Accepting the crutches, Quinn snorted a disbelieving laugh.

"Excuse me! I would like to point out that _I'm_ not the only one that does that, you can deny it as much as you want but I've seen you going all misty eyed at certain scenes."

Tilting her head to the side Rachel begrudgingly admitted.

"Well, perhaps, I mean you can't deny that there's something lovely about the doccubus pairing."

Quinn snorted again as she made her way round the table and towards the gym area.

"Maybe to begin with it was kind of hot…but Bo isn't right for Lauren, Lauren is kick ass and now she's dark…wow, and speaking of the dark, she'd be so much better off with Tamsin, those two would be awesome together you can't deny it!"

It was Rachel that huffed in disbelief this time.

"No, she's like a child right now, she might be fully grown but her mental age hasn't caught up with her yet, it would just be weird! Maybe cop Tamsin would have been a good match but not present Tamsin…besides which Bo and Lauren are meant to be together."

Shaking her head slightly Quinn lifted a crutch to emphasise her pointing as she reiterated.

"Tamsin may be waiting for her mind to catch up with her body but she's still way more mature than Bo, she might be a good match for Lauren if she ever grows up but not as she is right now stringing along both her and Dyson. Copdoc all the way!"

Laughing at the determination in her partners eyes, Rachel pressed a quick kiss to her temple before swatting her butt.

"Whatever you say my little geek, now go get stretched about like a good recovering athlete while I cook us dinner!"

Muttering under her breath about immature succubae and kick ass cop's Quinn nevertheless made her way to where Will was getting the equipment ready. Secretly she was glad Rachel had decided to make her-self scarce as the usually confident skater had something she wanted to discuss with their coach without Rachel hearing. Grudgingly taking up her position on the bench, Quinn watched as Will un-wrapped her ankle and set about massaging the damaged muscles. She was on her fourth idea for how to start the conversation that was on her mind when Will looked up with a grin.

"Just say it."

Blinking in mild shock, the hockey player scratched her nose before muttering.

"How…I mean, what makes you think I have something I want to say?"

Grinning indulgently, the coach continued to massage the ankle whilst ignoring the various winces and grunts Quinn was making.

"Well, whenever you have something you want to talk about but don't know how to, you get that little frown…plus of course for the last couple of weeks whenever we've done this you've alternated between swearing and yelling at me and this time you're quiet…mostly."

Casually flipping her coach the bird, Quinn couldn't help but smirk as he laughed, after a moment she rolled her eyes before finally relenting.

"Okay fine, there was something I was thinking about asking you…a favour actually, but you can't let Rachel know about it!"

Pausing in his ministrations, Will raised an eyebrow before replying cautiously.

"That's not a situation that can ever end well, keeping a secret from one half of a skating partnership."

Running a hand through her hair in agitation, the hockey player blew out a breath before explaining.

"It's not a bad secret, it's not even a secret, not really anyway. Look…it's just, there was one of those ideas that I really, really liked but I'm not sure I could pull it off…at least not yet."

Frowning, Will switched his gaze from Quinn's ankle to her anxious hazel eyes, his hands continuing to ease the muscles knowledgably.

"Okay…I'm not sure I understand though Quinn, I mean you're ankle is almost healed, another week or so of deep tissue massage and stretches and you'll be as good as new. You're a talented skater and I doubt there's much in that list that would faze you."

Sighing (whilst simultaneously internally glowing at Will's insistence of her talent and abilities) Quinn scratched her nose before mumbling barely audibly.

"I want us to do the swing dancing based routine, I think it sounds amazing and the fast pace will blow people away…but I have no idea _how_ to actually swing dance. I mean most of the rest of our routines haven't been an issue given the basis we got in ballet. I guess I was asking if you could maybe help me out with that…you know, as in dancing lessons."

Raising an impressed eyebrow at both the hockey player's dedication and her insight into a routine that was much faster than their previous skates, Will thought about who best to contact…then smiled brightly.

"You're asking the wrong man, however the man you _do_ need to talk to happens to live in the same house. Hiram is a very keen dancer, he studied just about every discipline when he was in college, they're due back from their trip at the end of the week and I'm sure if you ask him he'll be glad to teach you."

Mulling the idea over, Quinn rubbed her chin.

"Hmm, well that all sounds great, though I'm not sure he'll be happy keeping it from Rachel."

To her surprise Will just grinned and removed one hand from its task long enough to wave it dismissively.

"On the contrary, if he knows it's for a surprise for Rachel he'll be even _more_ eager to do it…trust me, I'm a coach!"

Snorting a disbelieving laugh, Quinn relaxed.

"Is that even a thing…cos_ I_ don't think that's a thing?"

Shrugging with his usual happy grin, Will went back to his task.

"Well it is now…I'm _making_ it a thing."

Rolling her eyes the hockey player let it go and decided to concentrate on the treatment she was receiving, the session was less painful than it had been when they'd started a fortnight ago and to her great relief as they finished up Will informed her she wouldn't need to use the crutches anymore. Instead he wanted her to keep it wrapped but to try and use it as much, and as normally, as possible. After that the recovery was swift and within the week, just as predicted, Quinn was taking her secret swing dance lessons with Hiram in the evening's and both her and Rachel were hard back at work on the ice. Perfecting their compulsory moves and discussing the merits and visual impact of various jump's and spins for their free skate routine.

Coming in from an extended practice session to perfect a new pair's spin they'd been adapting, both skaters were mildly surprised to see Hiram and Leroy sprawled out on one of the overstuffed chairs in the den. Usually they kept the den clear for the two women to collapse onto when they came in from practice, raising a curious eyebrow, Rachel allowed Quinn to pull her down beside her onto the sofa. Puffing out an exhausted breath the hockey player just gestured with a hand and a mellow grunt to the two men leaving Rachel to verbalise the question. Rolling her eyes fondly in Quinn's direction, the little diva looked to her father's, smirking at their expressions of barely concealed excitement.

"Okay…out with it dad, before you burst!"

Clapping delightedly, Hiram leant forward in his seat so eagerly he almost sent Leroy, who was resting on the chair's arm, flying.

"Well, we know that you don't like big parties very much baby, especially you Quinn, but National's is, after all, a big deal and we wanted to show you both how proud we are of you."

Quinn fixed narrowed hazel eyes on him and spoke in a very neutral tone, having a nasty suspicion of where exactly this conversation was going.

"Just HOW big of a celebration are we looking at here Mr B?"

Leroy smirked as he watched Hiram shift in his seat, slightly uncomfortably.

"Well initially it was meant to be just a small gathering, you know, us, your family Quinn, and maybe a few of the potential sponsors."

Rachel face palmed at the tone in her father's voice, also knowing what was coming even as Quinn leaned forward in her seat and drawled.

"Buuuutttttt?"

Clearing his throat Hiram held his hands out as if to calm an irritable crowd as he hastily explained.

"Well, those few potential sponsors told a few _more_ potential sponsors, who told _their _current skaters about it and…well, the upshot is that what _was_ going to be a small simple celebratory gathering has now tuned into an unofficial 'official' ball for all the invited skaters and sponsors."

Letting her head sink down onto her chest Quinn let out a long weary breath, not one to let his spirits be dampened for long however, Hiram suddenly clapped his hands together again excitedly, causing the other three to jump slightly.

"Ooh! But the good news however is that I managed to get that band that you really like to play the ball Quinn!"

Looking back up, one eyebrow raised sceptically, the hockey player asked.

"Which one, I like a lot of bands and somehow I can't see Metallica or Iron Maiden agreeing to play a ball!"

Rolling his eyes he lightly slapped the blonde's knee as he explained.

"No! The one you've been listening to recently, 'Big Bad Voodoo Daddy'!"

To Rachel and Leroy's surprise Quinn's look of pained acceptance transformed into one of sheer delight and she sat forward almost as eagerly as Hiram himself.

"Holy crap, you're not shitting me are you? Because that's frigging awesome news!"

Bouncing happily in his seat at having won over the most difficult member of the small crowd, Hiram nodded.

"I'm dead serious, so get your dancing shoes on and find a good tailor to put you a zoot suit together!"

Turning excitedly to Rachel, the hockey player also found herself bouncing in her seat.

"This is going to be awesome! Those guys are amazing and I can't wait to put together a decent outfit, in yellow I think, I know I might look kind of like the Mask but hey, you said I looked good in yellow remember?! Ooh I wonder if Isaac would consider designing it, he does do amazing work after all, I'm going to go ring him now!"

Before Rachel could even open her mouth to reply Quinn was up and heading to their room to find the costumier's number, glancing at her fathers with a mock glare the little diva pointed an accusing finger at Hiram.

"Well I _hope_ you're happy…you've broken my girlfriend!"

Leroy guffawed in amusement while Hiram just looked dumb-struck; he lifted a hand in a gesture to indicate he was asking _how_ exactly that had happened.

"She's talking about clothes and a dance…excitedly! She's also volunteering to be measured up for an outfit which is something we normally have to use peanut butter cups to bribe her into…you've broken her!"

Hiram smiled abashedly at that.

"All it took was the right music, and she really does like that band!"

Shaking her head slightly Rachel tried not to look hurt, even though she couldn't deny that the fact her father knew something about Quinn that was clearly news to her was a little hurtful. Hastily he explained, as much as he could without giving away the hockey players secret dance lessons anyway.

"It's a pretty recent thing Rach, something we started listening to while she's been helping me out with that computer programme?"

The slight hurt cleared from brown eyes and Rachel smiled slightly as she nodded, Quinn and Hiram had agreed that they would tell the diva they were working on a new computer ordering programme together for the business.

"Sorry, I know it sounds silly to be a little jealous of you sharing something with her…I just wasn't aware she liked _any_ band that much, let alone one she hasn't mentioned before."

Leroy leaned forward to lay a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Calm down kiddo, your dad knows you didn't mean anything by it…and if I were you I would be more concerned with the fact that Quinn is up there planning her, and no doubt your, outfit for this dance…alone!"

Suddenly seeing a parade of unsuitable gowns parading in her mind's eye, the dive shot up from her seat and tore towards the stairs yelling as she went.

"QUINN, DON'T MAKE ANY DECISIONS YET…_QUINN_?!"

Leroy and Hiram glanced at each other before bursting into giggles, the taller man wrapped his arms around Hiram, pulling him close and placing a gentle kiss on his temple.

"Only you could start out wanting a small family celebration and end up with a huge official ball for practically the entire skating community."

Grinning happily, the smaller man returned the kiss.

"What can I say, aint no party like a Berry party! Hmm, considering we're having a swing band play maybe I could theme the party? I know, twenties prohibition era, gangsters, flapper girls and crooked cops oh my!"

Sighing dramatically, Leroy shook his head before asking in a world weary voice.

"Tell me again why I agreed to marry you?"

The Ball soon became the talk of the house, Dave and Santana had accepted their invites and would be bringing Kurt and Brittany with them. Lily and Sofia had also agreed to attend but would be coming straight from the airport, Quinn was ecstatic about the fact she would finally have her family altogether again and Rachel was happy simply because Quinn was! They even managed to agree on their outfits, outfits which Isaac had indeed been more than happy to put together for them. Quinn had gone for a slimmed down version of the zoot suit in a black and yellow pinstripe, going for subtle over 'in your face' bold. To match Rachel had chosen a pale yellow silk dress that fit her torso slightly and flared out at the waist for ease of movement. Between that and working on their free style routine for the National's competition, time passed swiftly. Santana was all but running the pub/restaurant she worked in now as the owner had, had a heart attack. Taking on the job had been good for her resume, but unfortunately had meant she got to spend less time with Brittany, so the invite to the ball was a good excuse for a long weekend away together. On the plus side (if you happened to ask Quinn anyway) she hadn't been able to make it up as often for her visits, she made up for it with numerous phone calls however. In her words she had to make sure that Quinn was keeping herself out of trouble, mostly she just liked to know that her 'little sister' was coping okay with everything.

As the date for the impromptu 'little' ball approached, the RSVP's came rolling in, some were reasons to celebrate of course, for instance outside of their families it was great to know Puck was coming. Will was over the moon that Shannon was able to make it as well and had already planned out an afternoon of BBQ and beer for the day following the party. Some responses however, they could have happily done without, but as it was for _all_ skaters and sponsors attending National's, Jesse and Sue were going to be in attendance. Rachel was surprised that Quinn's only reaction was a shrugged shoulder, at the diva's raised eyebrow the hockey player grinned crookedly.

"We knew he wouldn't be able to resist the chance to try and play more mind games with me, he's just arrogant enough to think that he can pull it off when he's in our house…I will be glad to correct that assumption."

Crossing her arms and shooting an amused but concerned look at the smirking blonde, Rachel carefully asked.

"How _exactly_ are you planning to disabuse him of this notion?"

Rolling hazel eyes, Quinn took her feet off the coffee table they'd been resting on, and standing up, headed over to drape her arms round Rachel's neck.

"Unfurrow that brow Berry, I'm not 'planning' anything at all…I'm just saying that if he wants to metaphorically throw down then I shall be glad to best him in his chosen field."

Raising an eyebrow the petite brunette smirked back.

"You're going to be an insufferable asshole back at him?"

Narrowing her eyes playfully, Quinn snapped lightly at the tip of Rachel's nose before clarifying.

"No…smartass, I mean I'll show him how true mental manipulation works, nothing involving crude language or physical violence…scouts honour!"

Barking out a sharp laugh the diva's eyes widened in disbelief.

"That might carry more weight if you had ever in fact been a scout."

Smirking playfully, Quinn raised her eyebrow challengingly.

"How do you know I was never a scout, for all you know I could have been a scout leader!"

It only took ten seconds of the diva's deadpan unconvinced look for Quinn's resolve to crumble and leave her giggling.

"Okay, okay I confess, the nearest I got to scouts was buying their cookies…but regardless my promise still stands, no M rated stuff will occur at the dance no matter the provocation."

Nodding slightly, the diva leaned forward to press a light kiss to the hockey players still smiling lips.

"Now that I believe, besides which even if you _did_ want to misbehave, both your parents _and_ Dave and Santana will be there."

Rolling her eyes, Quinn let herself slump back into the sofa, and picking up the remote mumbled.

"Don't remind me…and they're going to be all couply aren't they, so embarrassing! Now, how about you settle down here with me and enjoy a couple of episodes of Archer and a pizza before the madness starts?"

Smiling happily, Rachel sank into the opposite end of the sofa and picked up Quinn's socked feet to gently rub them.

"So long as the pizza has extra mushroom on my side then I accept your proposal…lord knows you've never witnessed one of daddy's big 'do's' before, it's quite the experience!"

As it turned out Rachel had far from exaggerated the situation, in fact if anything, she had downplayed it! And as Quinn ducked out of the way of the most recent phalanx of decorators flitting through the doors, she shook her head with a mix of amusement and exasperation before making a mental note to relocate to the skating rink for the majority of her day! Fleeing to the relative safety of the rink she couldn't help but laugh when she also found Will, Rachel and Leroy sheltering there, after welcoming her to the 'safe zone' Rachel and Quinn bent their heads back over their plans for a routine with just the right amount of 'kick ass' in it. This pattern remained for the rest of the 'party planning stage' as Hiram referred to it, even if he did occasionally intrude into their sanctuary to drag a resigned Leroy out of his chair to consult on this that or the other!

The day of the now infamous ball dawned with a cacophony of speakers being tested and caterers rushing in and out of the kitchen shouting orders at each other. After an hour of trying to enjoy her day off from the rink, Quinn gave up and pulled the pillow from her head with a growl…a growl that was swiftly followed by Rachel's giggling. Peering up from under her overly long bangs, the hockey player mock scowled.

"I think I hate your dad's right now…my first chance to lie in for over a week and all I can hear is the pros and cons of preparing the Vol-aux-vents in advance!"

Pouting unconvincingly, Rachel brushed the blonde strands out of her partners hazel eyes.

"Okay grumpy, let's get up and head into town for a while, I know you've been itching to go and spend some money on that new games thingy so I'm taking you shopping for the day…_your_ type of shopping, not mine, I promise!"

Infused with sudden energy, Quinn leapt out of bed and after showering the diva's face with so many kisses she ended up collapsing in giggles, disappeared into the walk in closet to dig out her favourite comfy clothes.

"Best girlfriend in the world ever!"

The muffled but ecstatic voice coming from the closet caused a fresh wave of fond giggles in the diva and she lay back contentedly while she waited for the now happily babbling hockey player to get dressed. Rachel was true to her word and spent the entire day allowing Quinn to drag her from games shops, to comic shops and even into several memorabilia stores. She didn't even object to the extremely geeky T-Shirt the blonde had chosen in celebration of her nerd day. Rachel admitted she had no idea what the SR2 Normandy was, but she was pretty sure that Quinn wasn't actually a crew member, then again she probably wasn't an N7 either (whatever that was) but it didn't stop her wearing the leather jacket. Several hours later and several hundred dollars lighter, the two returned to what appeared to be a completely different house altogether. Blinking in shock at the vintage 20's era cars parked outside along the drive, Quinn stopped in her tracks and removing the half a Redvine from her mouth, whispered sideways to Rachel.

"Are those…flapper girls practicing dancing in the ballroom?"

Following the hockey players pointing finger to the window that looked into the ballroom, Rachel nodded proudly.

"Oh yes, when daddy plans a party he goes all out, with your love of swing jazz, I'm going to assume he took the opportunity to 'theme' the ball…hence the whole prohibition era thing. At least _our_ outfits won't look out of place; in fact we'll fit right in!"

Shaking her head in mild disbelief, Quinn then heaved a small sigh of regret as she looked at the bright green box in her hand.

"Oh well, looks like I won't get chance to take your virginity tonight my little Xbox one…But soon, soon my love!"

Rolling her eyes, Rachel shoved good-naturedly at the blondes leather clad shoulder.

"You're lucky I love you Fabray, odd quirks and all! Now get your butt in gear, we have outfits to get into and I want to do something with those adorably floppy locks of yours."

Grumbling under her breath and making a show of dragging her converse covered feet, the hockey player followed Rachel into the house, and weaving their way between the hired dancers and waiters for the evening, they eventually made their way up to the relative safety of their rooms. Carefully stashing her goodies in the walk in closet, Quinn hastily headed into the bathroom to shower first, with any luck she'd have time to read at least one if not two of her new comics before Rachel finished in the bathroom! The hockey player tried her best to drag out the getting ready process so she could avoid the crowds downstairs but with the combined efforts of Rachel styling her hair into a neat slicked back 20's style, and Leroy who announced Santana and Brittany had arrived, she eventually gave in. Rachel stopped her just before they left the bedroom and straightened the lapels of Quinn's pinstriped suit.

"You look gorgeous, and a very selfish part of me can't wait to walk you around and boast that out of everyone in the world you chose to be with me."

The practiced scowl dropped from the blondes face, instantaneously replaced with that bright yet shy smile that she seemed to reserve just for Rachel.

"That's better Gretzky, keep scowling like that and you'll get lines…now let's get down there and see if your mom's can recognise you when you're not in jeans and converse huh?"

Rolling her eyes, the hockey player happily allowed herself to be led down the stairs and into the now bustling ground floor of the Spencer Mansion. And bustling it was, several of the guests had arrived already and Quinn found herself pulled into an affectionate half Nelson by her elder sister who was similarly attired to her, only in black and red pinstripes.

"You couldn't just greet me like a normal person Lopez?"

Grinning wickedly the Latina reached out to ruffle the slicked down hair, stopping only when Rachel rapped her knuckles lightly. Blowing a raspberry at the perturbed diva, Santana resigned herself to flicking the hockey player's ear instead.

"Chill Berry! I won't ruin your good work…and no Quinn, I _can't_ greet you like a normal person because you aren't a normal person. You're my bratty yet tolerable little sister and this is how I greet bratty yet tolerable little sisters."

Unable to mask her grin at the familiar banter, Quinn pulled her sister into a hug.

"Yeah I love you too…you sourpuss!"

After greeting Brittany in a much more appropriate manner the four of them started to mingle a bit, Quinn and Santana trying to mask the anxiety that they were feeling at finally being able to see their mom's again soon. They found Kurt and Dave easily; the two of them had a crowd of adoring female fans hanging onto their every word, shaking her head fondly Quinn broke through the smiling women to pull her grinning brother into a hug. A hug he easily dominated and after finally settling a squirming giggling Quinn back down, he did the same to Rachel, Brittany and Santana. Before they could get properly caught up however, Puck's smiling face appeared with a tray of drinks. Soon enough they were all stood around, glasses in hand and gossiping about the latest from the Olympic grapevine. Well, all except Quinn and Kurt who were involved, in of all things, a discussion on fashion. Admiringly opening up the left side of the hockey player's jacket, Kurt raised an eyebrow at the mustard coloured silk that lined it.

"Whoever your guy is does some amazing work Quinn, I'm not ashamed to admit I'm green with envy!"

Smiling and knowing that Isaac would love this feedback when she passed it on to him, Quinn opened her mouth to reply but a familiar and unwanted voice beat her to it.

"Well you can't blame her Hummel, after all, if your skill is lacking then you need all the glitz and glamour you can to try and detract from that fact."

Glancing towards her partner, Quinn saw that Rachel's eyes had narrowed imperceptibly, her knuckles turning white around the stem of her water glass. Catching the infuriated chocolate brown gaze of the diva's, Quinn spared a quick wink before turning to greet Jesse with a friendly smile…well, semi friendly anyway.

"Jesse, we're glad you could make it…for a while we weren't sure if you would, given that your sponsorship deal was looking unlikely until last week."

Rachel's eyes widened slightly at that, even she hadn't been aware Jesse had been having sponsorship problems so the fact Quinn did was an even bigger surprise. For his part Jesse pulled at his collar awkwardly for a moment before reassuming his usual smirk, shrugging a shoulder he sipped at the surprisingly pleasant champagne.

"It's nothing you should spend your time worrying about Fabray, not when you have a bum ankle to worry about after all."

Santana found herself laying a calming hand on Rachel's forearm as she could actually hear the diva's teeth grinding together. Catching the brunettes gaze, Santana smiled reassuringly, her eyes telling Rachel to trust Quinn with this. Forcing herself to relax and trust that the hockey player wouldn't allow Jesse's mind games to affect her, Rachel turned her attention back to her partner…who was inexplicably smiling.

"Well I hope you weren't relying on my ankle to still be a problem Jesse, because if anything it's better than ever."

Snorting dismissively, the curly haired boy smirked into his champagne flute.

"Well of course you'd say that wouldn't you…but you never know when a tricky ankle might give out on you."

Pretending to look thoughtful Quinn handed her drink to Santana and slipping her blazer off passed it to Kurt who accepted eagerly and made sure to treat it with the proper reverence. Turning back to Jesse, Quinn tried not to grin outright at the very visible jerk of movement he couldn't contain; obviously thinking she was going to hit him. Instead she gestured him with a crooked finger to follow her to the ballroom which was still relatively empty. Rolling his eyes and sighing exaggeratedly he made a great show of following her, turning bemused eyes towards her companions, Rachel quickly followed suit. Santana just smirked, she had a very strong feeling that Jesse was about to get psyched out at his own game. As soon as she walked into the ballroom Quinn made her way to the small speaker system that Rachel had used the night of their first dance together. After a moment she moved to the centre of the room and addressed the still smirking Jesse.

"As you've expressed such genuine concern about the state of my ankle I feel it's my duty as a host to reassure you that things are fine and I will be fighting fit for nationals…so if I may…"

Gesturing to a still bemused Rachel, Quinn waited for her to hit play and after a moment the music kicked in. As soon as the tune was recognised Puck barked a laugh and pulled a semi scowling Santana into a dance of their own; Dave took the hint and plucked Rachel up while Brittany and Kurt followed them. Jesse's eyes however were fixed firmly and unbelievingly on Quinn.

'_Been working, so hard, I'm punching my card…'_

With the words of Kenny Loggins iconic song pounding from the stereo speakers, the hockey player started to replicate the dance moves made infamous by Kevin Bacon. Slowly but surely a crowd gathered to watch and although some of the moves had to be somewhat adjusted due to a lack of scaffolding (and both Kurt and Rachel couldn't help but wince when Quinn went sliding across the floor on her knees, mostly for the sake of the tailored slacks)…it got the whole party loosened up. And more importantly, it wiped the smug smirk off of Jesse's face, giving way to slack jawed amazement. As the song drew to an end, the breathless hockey player flushed bright red at the impromptu round of applause that the watching crowd erupted into. Her head shot up in recognition when she heard a proud voice call out.

"That's _my_ girl right there!"

Face breaking into a grin, Quinn paused only long enough to pat Jesse on the shoulder reassuringly before dismissing him from her mind altogether, and falling unashamedly into the waiting arms of her mom's. She felt the not so light impact on her back as both Santana and Dave joined the family hug, and couldn't help but chuckle at her mom's exasperated but delighted giggles. Soon enough they settled down and all three siblings found it hard to disguise the tears of joy they felt when they saw Lily walking, seemingly easily, under her own steam once again. Obviously it wasn't quite as clear cut as that and plenty of physio was still in store for her…but compared to the woman in the chair, _this_ was a miracle. The joy of the moment was interrupted when Santana snorted a laugh, at her families questioning look she gestured to Quinn.

"I forgot just how short you are in comparison to the rest of us Fabray…you little dwarf you!"

Scowling slightly, but nonetheless amused at her sisters words, Quinn deftly and without her parents knowledge managed to land a kick to Santana's ass before moving swiftly away. Seconds later Leroy and Hiram showed up and the whole thing became a _real_ party, complete with tears, catching up and laughter. Although Lily wasn't quite up to 'cutting a rug' yet she did enjoy the slow dances with Sofia, and when the band set up Rachel was delighted and more than enthusiastic upon learning of Quinn's new found swing dancing skills. Even Dave and Kurt gave it a try, admittedly it resulted in more laughter than applause in their case but they enjoyed themselves nonetheless. The night wore on and after accepting several dance invitations from several different people, and successfully avoiding Sue and Jesse as much as possible, Quinn gladly headed for the bathroom and a few minutes respite. She'd seen Rachel sat down with Brittany and Sofia chatting away animatedly, Dave was recovering from far too much dancing by chatting with an equally exhausted Leroy; she honestly had no idea where the rest of them were but suspected Lily and Hiram were off somewhere gossiping as well.

Pushing open the door to the guest bathroom wearily, Quinn paused to crick her neck slightly before running the cold tap. Once it was cool enough she bent down and gratefully splashed the reviving liquid across her face and the back of her heated neck. Letting out a sigh of relief she splashed her face a few more times before standing slowly and blindly reaching out for a hand towel…which someone dutifully placed in her hands. Masking her surprise, the hockey player wiped the soft material over her face before looking up into the mirror at her unknown companion…and freezing in sheer horror.

The muscles in her stomach clenched spasmodically and suddenly it became hard to breathe, to even think. Blinking rapidly and hoping a shake of the head would change what she was seeing…she was bitterly disappointed. Glad her hands still had a firm hold of the solid ceramic of the sinks edge, the blonde felt her knees start to shake. With great effort she swallowed the bile in her throat and managed to form words, weak, trembling words, but words nonetheless.

"What…why, _how_ are you here…Laura?"

_So…you hate me yet? Remember to review!_

_Oh and one quick question, if it were to come to it, would you rather our girls won Gold or stood up for something and sacrificed it? Just a question as thanks to some of the stuff I learnt during the games and to a song I heard recently, I now have two potential endings for this story! _

_P.S Apologies for the long delay of this chapter, short story is a lots happened, if anyone wants to know more you can PM me and I'll explain, it's the least I owe you all for waiting this long!_


	27. Chapter 27

_Buckle up kiddies, angst and possible __**trigger subjects**__ in this chapter! This chapter contains the same sort of abuse as the one regarding Quinn's past with Laura, please don't read it if it will upset you._

Willing the trembling she could feel in her arms not to make its way to her all too visible hands, Quinn squeezed the ceramic edge of the sink for all she was worth. Taking a deep breath, she used every ounce of willpower she could muster to keep her voice even as she spoke.

"Why are you here Laura, how did you even get in, this is an invite only event!"

Taking a momentary mental pause to congratulate herself on the even cadence of her words, Quinn made an effort to breathe evenly. She would be damned if she'd let Laura know how much this was upsetting her. Maintaining her gaze on the cruelly beautiful woman in the mirror behind her, the hockey player was disgusted but not surprised to realise that she had only grown more attractive as the years passed. Seeming to know exactly what Quinn's thoughts were, Laura gave her a smug grin and making sure to maintain eye contact the whole time, leant forward letting her lips brush against the shell of the blonde's ear before she whispered.

"I know."

The two word statement took a several seconds to register with Quinn as she was currently fighting the urge to throw up after Laura's lips touched her, if only for a brief second. Eventually however they did register and cold dread flooded through her at the implication they represented.

"Wait…what, what do you mean you know? How did _you_ get invited?"

Confident and cruel smile widening at the obvious distress in the hockey player's words, Laura raised an elegantly shaped eyebrow before rolling her eyes.

"How do you think Quinnie dear? If this is a ball for skaters and their sponsors then how do you think I got an invite…though I have to confess, my new enterprise is a bit of an uncouth moron."

Swallowing the rapidly rising bile back down, Quinn felt dizzy as the news fully hit her and she looked down at the clean white sink, hoping it might help her find her metaphorical feet again…it didn't.

"You're a…sponsor, who?"

Although, even as she asked she had a horrible, sneaking suspicion that she knew what the answer would be, a suspicion confirmed when she looked back up into the gleaming eyes of her abuser.

"Jesse St James of course, he's the rising star in this field after all. It was such a happy coincidence as I'd just seen that interview you did when daddy asked me to find ways to legitimise the business, and what's more legitimate than the world of sport?"

This time there was no stopping the bile, and Quinn found herself throwing up violently in the sink, Laura's amused laughter providing a fitting background noise. Taking advantage of the fact the blonde was bent over the sink throwing up; Laura ran her hand possessively across Quinn's hip. This unwanted action caused the hockey player to throw up again, even as one hand shot off of the sink and backwards to push Laura away. The taller woman only laughed before putting both hands back on Quinn's hips, then sliding one up to tangle in the locks of loose blonde hair, tightening cruelly.

"Now that's no way to react to the appearance of an old friend is it? And here I thought we could...relive, some of the good times."

Scowling heavily, Quinn attempted to shake Laura loose, only for the older woman to use the hand in her hair to pull her upright, locking gazes with her in the mirror again. Her eyes flashed coldly and the lazy grin turned itself into a thin hard line that the hockey player was all too familiar with.

"DON'T do that again, I didn't spend years tracking you down to have you forget your place!"

Quinn's body automatically dropped into a more submissive position, all the while her mind was screaming, throwing itself against the bars of control that had fallen down again after so many years. This wasn't _right_, she wasn't anyone property, she had family now, friends…she had Rachel, she wasn't…_this_ anymore! Sadly her body wasn't agreeing with her, too busy remembering the pain, the agony that this woman was capable of if she even thought about disobeying. But she was Quinn _goddamn_ Fabray and she knew, with every part of her, knew that this was wrong, that she didn't have to put up with this, not anymore, not _ever_ again! Forcing herself to feign compliance for a moment more, she waited until Laura relaxed her grip then pulled herself loose. Turning in the older woman's grip, she faced her for the first time since this encounter had started and firmly pushed her away. If the situation hadn't been so grave she would have almost laughed at the look of sheer surprise on Laura's face. Instead she took a deep breath and spoke clearly, admittedly she was shaking like a leaf…but her words weren't.

"I don't know what game you're playing now, or what you _think_ is going to happen but it's not! I'm not a kid anymore Laura and whatever power you had over me is gone, I have plenty of people now who care about me, they know what you did and they _will_ stand by me!"

For a moment the older woman looked…puzzled, then shocked, followed by the, oh so familiar flash of white rage, all of which were superseded by a worrying look of…delight? If that hadn't been enough of a reason to worry then the tinkling laughter that followed definitely was and the solid ground Quinn thought she had under her feet began to wobble.

"Oh Quinnie…did you really think I'd walk back into your life without a plan? How silly of you, I thought you knew better than that, I definitely thought you knew _me_ better than that! I am, however, delighted to realise the opposite is true, it means re-training you will be all the sweeter!"

Leaning back against the sink behind her for support, Quinn closed her eyes momentarily, tried to tell herself that this wasn't happening, _couldn't_ be happening. But when she opened her eyes and saw the tall black haired woman in front of her smiling joyously she knew without a doubt…it was. Feeling as if her whole world was crashing down on her, Quinn ran both hands through her hair shakily, wanting to ask, to scream, _why_ this was happening, what made Laura think she would comply, but all that came out was a weak and desperate sounding…

"No…"

Walking forward confidently, the Grecian beauty took firm hold of the hockey player's chin and forced her gaze back upwards, the cruel light to her eyes now blazing brightly.

"Yes, Quinnie…_yes_!"

There was such determination in Laura's gaze, in her posture and her words that Quinn just slumped in her grip, lowering her eyes submissively before managing to mutter hoarsely.

"What do you want?"

It was just four words, but with those four words she surrendered, she was stupid to think she could ever truly escape this woman, ever truly escape who she really was. And who she really was, was the unwanted kid of a low life criminal who was good for nothing more than servicing others.

Laura saw this all in her eyes and smiled internally, externally she moved her hand to gently caress Quinn's face for a second…before pulling it sharply away and delivering a slap that split the blonde's lip.

"That's better…it's good to see you're training hasn't been totally ruined! Now, as for what I want, there are a few things, and while this sudden act of subservience from you is believable…let me just show you a little something I put together in case you get any stupid ideas, like telling someone about me."

Swallowing hard, Quinn resisted the urge to reach up and wipe the dribble of blood from her chin, knowing that wasn't allowed. Instead she fought the instinct to defy this woman and waited, whatever Laura was going to show her she knew she wasn't going to like. Rummaging in the clutch bag , Laura had let rest on the sink's edge, she pulled out a smart phone and pressed a few keys before handing it out to Quinn with a grin, a video preloaded and ready to play.

"Go ahead, hit play…I think you'll find it entertaining."

Taking the phone, the hockey player used a trembling thumb to press the play icon. At first she was unsure what she was seeing, then it hit her with the force of a Mack truck, it was Laura's bedroom, and the woman herself was lying on the bed, Quinn had a sick feeling she knew what she was going to see next. Sure enough her younger self walked into view, seemingly eagerly, and started to 'service' Laura. From an outside perspective it all looked very consensual, it looked like she was enjoying herself, with sudden dread she realised what this was, and as she watched Laura hand over a wad of money to her onscreen self she felt the phone fall from her nerveless fingers. She'd wondered at the time why Laura had wanted her little 'role play' afternoon to feature Quinn being the one in charge for once, now it all made sense…even back then the bitch was putting things into place in case she ever needed them. She was shaken out of her stunned stupor when Laura leant forward and bit the lobe of her ear so hard she felt more blood, dribbling down her neck this time.

"I don't like it when you don't answer me Quinnie!"

Trying her best to clear her muddled thoughts enough to focus on what Laura was saying, Quinn forced herself to speak the words she knew her tormentor wanted to hear.

"I'm…sorry, I was…it doesn't matter. I'm sorry."

Smiling masterfully, Laura pulled on the abused earlobe once more to get her point across, then wiped her bloody fingers on Quinn's shoulder.

"Good, now that little video has been very carefully edited as I'm sure you can see, you _say_ that your friends and family will stand by you if they knew about me…and maybe they would, even if this video were to _somehow_ fall into the hands of the press and become public property."

Quinn looked at her in surprise, sickened anew as Laura laughed happily.

"Oh _please_, I know how that 'love' thing works, and yes they may well stand by you, but think about how much it would cost them?"

At the hockey player's frown of confusion, Laura smiled thinly and rolled her eyes.

"Your mothers are officers of the law, sworn to uphold it, but what might they do if they thought someone was getting away with something and the law couldn't touch them? Maybe they _wouldn't_ do anything to risk their careers but in my experience love makes people do stupid things."

Opening her mouth to protest, Quinn was cut off as Laura continued to pose hypotheticals that weren't perhaps as hypothetical as Quinn would like.

"And even if they didn't, it's sure to impact their careers, Lily at least, I mean who would trust a detective with a whore for a daughter that she can't even protect?"

Quinn's head felt all wrong, like shed drank a bottle of bourbon with a keg of beer as a chaser, she knew her mom and her ma wouldn't think like that…but would others?

Internal smile growing, Laura could see the confusion and pain on Quinn's features and carried on almost gleefully.

"And as for your foster siblings…Santana and David isn't it? I don't know what their backgrounds are but a video like that would probably stir up some very horrible memories for them, not to mention how it could affect their behaviour. From what I hear, this Santana already has quite a temper, I suspect it wouldn't take much for someone to provoke her into making a violent mistake that might land her in jail?"

Laura paused for a minute letting the truth of that statement sink in, they _both_ knew that if someone didn't antagonise Santana thenm Laura herself would engineer a situation.

Swallowing hard, Quinn tried to think of arguments, anything to negate what Laura was saying.

Unconcerned with the internal battle she knew was being waged in Quinn's mind and heart, Laura continued to pile on the pressure.

"As for that 'girlfriend' of yours, poor Rachel Berry, such a promising skater but with a career that's _already_ been beset with scandal, I wonder if such a battered career could take another hit."

At that, Quinn felt another flash of defiance, she _knew_ Rachel, knew the girl wouldn't care about that when compared to Quinn herself…but Laura's next words made that comforting knowledge anything but.

"Of course I'm sure she wouldn't mind losing her career before it started, she would likely stay with you and go into her father's' business. But it wouldn't be her dream; it wouldn't be what she really wanted, not deep down. And that's only if the business itself survived a blow like that! I mean I know it prides itself on its open family values, having a daughter-in-law that used to sell herself for money though…that's_ bound_ to turn a few people away, shut down several lucrative deals before they even start."

Quinn felt faint, the poor Berry men, they had been nothing but supportive of her, even when she and Rachel were at each other's throats, something like this could ruin them.

"So, like I said…love will do funny things to people, and I'm sure they _would_ all stick by you, at first at least. But the cost to them could be immeasurable, and I don't know about you but if _I_ loved someone I'm not sure I could ask them to pay a cost like that…"

Trailing off questioningly, Laura watched the last of the defiance, the anger and doubt leach out of Quinn, and the internal smile turned into a triumphant grin…she had her! Sometimes people could be so predictable.

Looking down, the hockey player could see the smartphone still playing away to itself and letting out a long shuddering breath, she asked again.

"What do you want…mistress."

Folding her arms coolly, the Grecian woman inspected the broken blonde in front of her and could think of so _very_ many things she wanted from her. However, their time here was short and she forced aside her more carnal urges to set in motion what she had come here to do.

"Firstly pick up the phone, turn off the video as it's distracting me, and put it in your pocket. From now on when I want you that is how I will contact you, understood?"

Nodding obediently, Quinn scooped up the phone and doing as instructed slid it into her back pocket. Smiling to herself at the seamless obedience, Laura took a moment to revel in the almost sexual pleasure of her complete dominance over the stubborn blonde.

"For now, I want you to carry on as you are, go to National's and do your best…but make sure St James also qualifies. Daddy needs an air of legitimacy and if I am the one to ensure it I stand to gain a full half of all his assets, so you will NOT mess this up for me do you hear?"

Again Quinn nodded; the only sign of her inner turmoil was the single tear trickling down her cheek to mix with the blood still on her chin.

"Good, apart from that, you will keep that phone charged and on at all times, and when I ask to see you, you turn up no matter what you have to do! So, are we clear?"

Hoping this was the last of today's 'instructions' Quinn forced herself to answer.

"Yes, I understand."

Taking in the defeated form one last time, Laura checked her watch discreetly. She still had a little time to kill and she did after all have a victory to celebrate.

"Excellent…now take your shirt off."

Hazel eyes flickered to unwaveringly cold ones, and feeling a measure of self-disgust she'd hoped never to experience again, Quinn numbly, and with shaking hands, undid the shirt and let it slide from her shoulders. Laura smiled thinly before moving to within inches of her.

"You've filled out nicely…although some of my marks have faded which is disappointing. Now, I'm going to give you a new one, one you _won't_ forget, one that reminds you of who you are and who you belong to…and you, are going to reassure me you haven't lost all your talents…are we clear."

Filled with a mixture of fear, anger, desperation and self-loathing, Quinn found herself nodding. With a victorious smile, the raven headed woman took one of Quinn's idle hands and placed it under her dress at the hem of her silk underwear; then she bowed her head and sank her teeth into the hockey player's bared collar bone…hard. Although she hadn't been around this woman in nearly a decade, Quinn remembered exactly what to do. Gritting her teeth against both the pain growing in her shoulder and the tears that wanted desperately to fall, Quinn slid into Laura and back into the familiar pattern she knew would get the woman off as fast as possible. Whether it was from the power she felt from her victory, or the fact it had been so long since she'd used her talented play thing, Laura wasn't sure, but within minutes she was convulsing pleasurably and releasing the abused skin from her now bloody teeth. Looking up she saw that the tears had started to fall down Quinn's cheek, the salty liquid mixing with the dried blood on her chin. Unable to help herself, Laura licked the salty bloody trail, closing her eyes happily at the taste, after allowing herself to enjoy the moment, she straightened up and pushed Quinn away from her to admire her handiwork. The bite mark was…impressive, open and raw and deep enough that she saw faint traces of white she hoped was bone through the damaged skin.

"Excellent work, now I'm going to clean up and leave…wait five minutes before you do likewise, and do NOT treat that wound, I want it to scar!"

Nodding numbly, Quinn waited until Laura finished reapplying her makeup, fluffing her hair and washing her hands. With a last wink the Grecian beauty left the bathroom, unable to fight back the nausea any longer Quinn threw up again, violently. _How_ had this happened, this morning she was happy, she was with the best woman in the world and her moms were on the way home. In the space of, she checked her watch, sickened to discover that although it felt like they'd been in the bathroom for hours it had only been just over twenty minutes. In the space of twenty minutes she'd regressed nearly ten years and was nothing but a weak pathetic waste of space. Forcing her tears to stop, the hockey player dutifully washed her hands and then washed the blood off her face and neck before tackling the bite wound. It hurt like holy hell and knowing she couldn't treat it properly she simply wiped it clear of blood and placed a dry washcloth over it before shrugging back into her shirt.

Looking in the mirror, she could almost fool herself into thinking that this was just a really vivid nightmare. Until she caught the haunted defeated look in her eyes and felt the sharp throbbing pain along her collarbone. How the hell was she supposed to carry on pretending everything was okay…when in fact _nothing_ was, and maybe never would be again. Running her hands through her hair she slunk out of the bathroom, relieved when she couldn't see anyone that might ask where she'd been. She was thinking of heading towards the ball room again when she caught Sue Sylvester watching her from across the room. The coach smirked, and raising one eyebrow, tipped her glass towards the hockey player. That was _it_; Quinn felt the need to run crawling over her skin like ants over a picnic, and grabbing a bottle of something from the nearest tray bolted towards the kitchen and the back door.

Blissfully unaware of any of the incidents that had taken place not more than a couple of rooms from them, Rachel and Santana were arguing over the merits of the Blackhawks versus the Canucks. Santana was busily pointing out that the only reason Rachel favoured the Blackhawks was that Quinn supported them, when an exhausted but happy looking Lily came over with Sophia. The fire officer rolled her eyes at her daughter's teasing of the little diva and she lightly cuffed the Latina's head.

"Hey brat, leave her alone, I think it's sweet that they at least root for the same team, regardless of the reason. God knows our household would be a much more peaceful place if your mom would learn the error of her ways and defect from the Philly's to the 51's"

Snorting disbelievingly, Lily elbowed her grinning wife.

"In your dreams sweetheart; But sporting rivalry aside, I was looking for Quinn, I'm kinda wiped after the long flight and then this, I wanted to say goodnight before we turned in though."

Rachel nodded understandingly, and then frowned slightly as she looked around.

"That's a good point actually, I haven't seen her since she managed to dance my daddy around the dance floor, and she said she was going to cool down and then come find me. I forgot all about it after Santana started trying to convert me to the dark side."

The diva grinned as predictably the Latina scoffed.

"Supporting the Canucks is _not_ akin to joining the dark side short round…but you're right about Q, I haven't seen her either and normally she's so close to you it's kinda stomach churning."

Rolling her eyes, it was Rachel who cuffed the Latina round the head lightly this time, nimbly ducking the return volley. Brittany, who had just shown up, ended the attempt by wrapping her arms around Santana's shoulders and pulling her into a loose embrace.

"Hey Brit, have you seen Quinn recently? Is she with Dave?"

The tall blonde shook her head, frowning slightly as she tried to think where she'd seen the hockey player last.

"No I haven't, I know she's not with Dave cos he's sat with your parents talking about something in the study. She's not with Kurt or Puck because they're playing football on that games machine."

Rachel frowned slightly, she knew they were at home so logically nothing could have happened to Quinn…but she couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right. Mostly because she remembered the hockey player confiding in her, not long ago, that she thought her mom looked tired and should rest soon. Turning to Santana, she found she didn't need to say anything as the Latina instantly picked up on her unease and nodded understandingly.

"Okay, well why don't you go look for her around this haunted mansion and I'll go check outside, I know she'd want to say goodnight to you mom and I can't be dealing with the _sulking_ that will result if we let you go without her doing so."

Lily knew her kids well enough to know that there was something else going on but she just nodded slowly.

"Okay, well we're going down to the guest chalet Hiram set up for us; tell her to pop by before she goes to bed when you find her…okay?"

Santana nodded reassuringly and watched her mom's head off before turning to her concerned girlfriend.

"Brit honey, can you go interrupt whatever Dave's doing and ask him and the Berry men if they remember seeing her recently, it's probably nothing but Rachel's right…something feels hinky."

Letting out a breath of relief, that as stupid as it might be, Santana had indeed picked up on the same feeling Rachel had. The tiny brunette smiled her thanks and reaching out briefly clasped the Latina's hand.

"Thank you Santana, it's probably nothing in which case _Quinn_ is doing the coffee run in the morning, but just in case…"

Santana ruffled the diva's hair with a small grin.

"No problem short round, after years of living with her my Quinndar is finely tuned."

A dark eyebrow raised upwards in question.

"A _Quinndar_?"

Grin widening, the Latina nodded before explaining.

"Yeah, it's like gaydar but it works on Quinn and her weird ass moods, it was practically a survival tool in the early days of living with her."

They both shared a laugh before Rachel asked nervously.

"And…what is it telling you at the moment?"

Glancing at her feet for a moment, Santana thought carefully about how to answer, earlier there was no question that Quinn was in a jubilant mood. She was loving her mom's being back and for the first time ever seemed to be enjoying a dance, something the brooding younger Quinn never did. But…now, now she wasn't sure, for Quinn to have disappeared with their mom just back from surgery, well it didn't sit right with her. Sighing heavily, the Latina tucked her hair behind her ear before replying.

"I'll admit…it's pinging, I have no idea why, because to the best of my knowledge after Q put that jerk St James in his place there was nothing else that could upset her."

Rachel nodded in agreement and after a moment's pause pulled the surprised Latina into a hug. There was a moment of stiffness before Santana relaxed and patted her back soothingly.

"S'okay short round, whatever's up we'll sort it…between my years of dealing with Quinn at her worst and you helping her to be her best, we'll have no worries, okay?"

Pulling back and wiping her eyes, the little diva nodded happily, taking a deep breath she pointed behind her.

"Right, I'm going to check upstairs, see if maybe she gave into the temptation of that new games machine and snuck away. Can you check outside, if she's anywhere she'll probably have gone down by the lake…she says it calms her."

She added the last part in an almost whisper, half hoping that Santana didn't find her there for the simple reason it would confirm something bad had happened. Nodding in understanding, the Latina gave her shoulder a last light squeeze before heading outside, Rachel watched her go and hoped for once in her life she was stressing for no reason.

Outside, Quinn had no idea of the concern her abrupt departure had caused, she had no idea of anything really thanks to the bottle of whatever it was that she had picked up. Swigging down another burning mouthful, the hockey player found herself smirking darkly as a drop escaped her lips and stung the fresh cut in her lip. Pain, something she was all too familiar with, something she disturbingly understood more than she wanted to. And, as she was coming to understand, something she would never escape. Laughing bleakly, she reached up with her free hand and squeezed down on the still oozing bite wound on her collar bone. A wound she knew would be there even if she attempted plastic surgery…Laura made sure of that.

The small part of her that had found the courage to run from Laura, the same part of her that had found her family and Rachel, was still railing against what had happened. Still fighting to remind her that she didn't have to do this alone anymore, that not only was she an adult but she had back up. That part, however, was rapidly drowned out by the years of abuse, the years of being told she wasn't worth anything, that she should be thankful someone as beautiful as Laura was willing to give her the time of day. The part that reminded her, her mother was a drunk who abandoned her and her father a lousy crook who sold her to save his own hide. Back and forth her heart and mind were arguing, one telling her one thing only to be drowned out by the other, hoping to silence both of the warring voices in her head, Quinn took another swig only to realise the bottle was empty. Scowling angrily she looked at it in disbelief, swaying unsteadily as her concentration was taken from her feet and walking. With a muffled curse, the hockey player tripped over an exposed tree root sticking out of the mud and went down hard, howling angrily at her own clumsiness, Quinn let go of the empty vessel and tried to brace her fall.

She failed miserably and groaned as a dull pain blossomed in her chest where she landed on the discarded bottle. Rolling onto her back, more pain blossomed from her collar bone and she let out a half laugh, half whimper. She should have known, things don't change, not for long anyway, she was born scum and she'd always be scum, she was stupid to have convinced herself of anything else. And now, now because she'd tried to be something she wasn't, _someone_ she wasn't, she had dragged everyone she cared about down with her. She had no doubt in her mind that if she even thought of defying Laura, the Grecian beauty would make damn sure that everything she had spoken about would happen. She'd ruin the Berry's, land Santana in prison, destroy her mother's' careers…she didn't doubt any of it, she had before and now this was happening, she wouldn't doubt her again.

But…Rachel, she wanted more than _anything_ to talk to Rachel, to curl up in her safe arms and tell her what happened but she couldn't…not after what she'd just done to another woman, and in Rachel's own home, god she _hated_ herself. Suddenly aware of a damp warmth spreading across her body, Quinn looked down to see that several larger shards of the smashed bottle had lodged themselves in her stomach. With an almost morbid fascination she reached down and pulled a shard free, they weren't in deep but there were several. Sitting up, the hockey player took hold of one of the remaining shards and pushed it in a little further rather than taking it out…revelling in the sharp pain. For a long moment she contemplated pushing it in even more, just to reacquaint herself with the pain she had tried to forget. Instead she ripped it out angrily, almost screaming as she flung it far from herself before flopping back down and pressing the heels of her bloody hands to her eyes in a futile attempt to stop the tears.

She _was_ nothing and she _had_ nothing…except Laura, that bitch had made sure that Quinn was ruined for everyone else, just like she had promised she would. What the hell was she thinking when she'd tried to leave her. Even as she was thinking these things, she saw Rachel's beautiful face next to hers on the pillow, her annoying chirpy morning smile in place even as she herself groused about the time and tried to burrow into the mattress. But if she went to Rachel, if she told her what happened, what was going to happen then, she would put her at risk _that's_ what would happen. Putting her career at risk would be bad enough, but exposing her to this type of world, Rachel didn't belong in this world…but it seemed that she did. Swallowing hard and unable to stop the war going on inside her head, Quinn rolled over and managed to get to her hands and knees before slowly standing up…she just wanted it to stop, the noise in her head needed to stop.

Looking around she saw she wasn't far from the lake; the lake was one of the only places she ever seemed to feel calm. There was just something about the stillness of the water in the evening and the break of dawn that stilled the unrest inside her; maybe it could do it again now. Stumbling slightly thanks to the alcohol coursing its way through her system, and in a smaller part the blood loss from the smashed bottle, Quinn headed towards the lake's edge already feeling slightly better. Yes, the lake was definitely calming; letting out a breath she walked a little closer then let out a relieved breath. In all this mess the lake was about the only thing that made sense to her, so she walked further until her feet were submerged, then her calves, then her thighs. Sitting down she let her head sink below the water, slowly she lay back and opened her eyes, and the world was now a silent blur, the moon just barely visible above her. For the first time since she'd run into Laura earlier that evening she felt a certain kind of peace, even as her lungs started to ache from the need for air. She closed her eyes again…she just wanted to enjoy this peace a little longer, this place where nothing could touch her. She was abruptly pulled out of this peace when she felt someone grab her shoulders and pull her up, her body automatically gasping in air gratefully even as she pushed angrily at whomever had disturbed her. It took a few minutes for the water to drain from her ears, and when it did she realised Santana was yelling at her…and she sounded pissed.

"Jesus fucking Christ Quinn, what the fuck do you think you're doing out here? I thought maybe you'd snuck off to play your fucking Xbox not try and drown yourself!?"

Coughing a little, Quinn pulled herself away from her sister's arms and tried not to sob at the cessation of her hard won peace.

"I didn't ask you to come out here…why are you out here anyway, I just…I needed some peace okay, my head wouldn't shut up…just kept arguing and I couldn't…it was too much and the lake's quiet."

Santana was drenched from the waist down and although she was pissed off about that she was more concerned about what was going on with Quinn. In all the years they had known each other she had never seen her like this, she'd seen her as a lecherous drunk, a happy drunk and an angry drunk…but_ never_ like this and she was worried. A worry that was only compounded by the clear injuries she could spot all over the hockey player.

"Quinn…_seriously_, what happened to you? Do I need to kick someone's ass?"

She asked the question with her usual smirk and eyebrow raise, expecting at least a smart assed remark about how it was normally Quinn herself that did the ass kicking. Which is why she was entirely unprepared for the reaction she did get; which was a frantic shaking of Quinn's head, her hazel eyes visibly worried as she grabbed at the Latina's hand.

"_No_, please don't, you can't fight this…_no one_ can, it's my fault, I should have known she'd come after me. It's my fault for leaving and I'll…I can _handle_ it!"

Santana swallowed hard, a part of her knowing that only one person could do this to Quinn when she'd been doing so well. Fighting down an unpleasant sick feeling at the reply she was going to get, the Latina forced herself to ask.

"Laura found you…didn't she?"

Quinn looked torn, and more than half terrified at the prospect of Santana knowing, no one was supposed to know, they'd all be in danger if they knew! Moaning slightly, the hockey player dropped her head into her hands and started muttering. Whether it was from the drink or the panic she was clearly in, Santana didn't know, but she couldn't understand a word that Quinn was saying. Not that she needed to, the reaction was answer enough and gritting her teeth angrily, the Latina knelt down next to her distraught sister.

"Q bear, listen to me…you don't have to say anything okay but I need to get you out of this lake and inside."

Sighing heavily, Quinn let her hands drop from her face before looking into the worried eyes of her usually abrasive sister. Swallowing, she nodded and allowed Santana to help her up, so long as she didn't have to talk, maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

"Okay…fine, but no talking…please?"

Smiling reassuringly at the hockey player, Santana forced herself not to let the anger she was feeling show, as she slung one of Quinn's arms around her shoulder.

"You got it Q bear, no talking, let's just get you dried, changed and patched up okay?"

Taking in the mess that was her shirt and the smashed bottle on the path she'd passed earlier, Santana put two and two together, at least about that injury anyway. She was assuming the split lip and bleeding shoulder were courtesy of Laura, not that Quinn was going to tell her; whatever had happened, the hockey player was obviously terrified. Santana just hoped she could talk to Rachel before the little diva saw her like this. Whatever had happened they had to handle it_ very_ delicately. After their talk in the hospital where Quinn had confided to Santana what had happened to her, the Latina had started to do some reading. She was definitely no psychologist but whatever shit they gave each other, Quinn was her sister and she wanted to protect her.

Which is why she had started reading up on the psychology behind abusive relationships, why people couldn't get out of them, and how it affected them when they finally did. In doing so she had started to understand her troubled foster sister a lot more, she would never tell her that because it wasn't how they worked but she wanted to be there for her if Laura ever turned back up, and it looked like she had. How and why was beyond Santana at that moment as she knew there was no way the Berry men would have let that woman into their house knowingly. But somehow she _had_ gotten in, and wormed herself back into Quinn's life with who knew what threats. Whatever they were, the Latina would find them, and destroy them because _no one_ was going to mess with her sister while she was around. She just had to use her brain instead of her fists which was fine with her, luckily most people underestimated her intelligence, and she'd bet Laura was one of them.

Luck was on her side and it was Leroy that met her at the entrance to the house, he opened his mouth to start asking questions but Santana quickly shook her head and mouthed the word later. Leroy frowned worriedly, but nodded an agreement as he watched the Latina help Quinn up the stairs talking overly cheerfully.

"Someone had a little too much scotch by the smell of it, I'll go get her washed up and in bed, can you please get me a first aid kit and leave it in her room?"

Worried at the words he could clearly read between the lines, the Tall man nodded solemnly, forcing a smile for Quinn's drunken gaze.

"No problem San, maybe lay off the booze next time huh slugger?"

Quinn's smile was just as strained, she had no idea of the silent conversation going on between Leroy and Santana. All she knew was that she had to try and maintain as normal an air as possible, so she dashed off a sloppy salute with her free hand then let Santana pull her the rest of the way up the stairs. The next thing she was aware of was her sister setting her on the toilet seat as she ran the shower for a moment.

"Okay Q bear, wash off the lake water and I'll sort you out something to sleep in, after I sort those cuts out."

Nodding blearily, the hockey player tried to focus on her sister's voice, but the full effect of what she now knew was scotch was hitting her hard and all she wanted to do was sleep. The shower woke her up temporarily, as did the stinging pain as the water hit the bite mark and the shallow wounds on her stomach. Staunching the newly flowing blood with handfuls of tissue paper, she slid into her Batman robe and headed into the bedroom where Santana and Rachel seemed to be having a whispered conversation. Noticing her, Santana shot a warning glare towards Rachel that Quinn was thankfully too drunk to notice, and then headed for the bed.

"Okay Q, lay down and I'll take care of those cuts, after that you _really_ need to drink some water before you crash."

Rachel tried not to look as worried as she felt when Quinn simply nodded her acquiescence and lay down on the bed so Santana could get at the stomach injuries, the bite mark she was still hoping to hide. Realising that there was no way Quinn would stay awake _long_ enough to drink the water afterwards, Santana made her drink it first. Sure enough seconds after her head hit the pillow, and despite the injuries stinging as Santana cleaned them, Quinn was out like a light. Once she was sure the hockey player was asleep, Rachel sat down next to Santana so she could help her…and question her.

"What happened Santana? This isn't her! Tthis isn't even the old her…I mean, I know I never met the _old_ her, but from what you said she'd be more likely to try and start a fight while drunk than…do what she did, whatever _that_ is, seeing as you won't tell me."

She added the last part somewhat petulantly and passed the butterfly stitches to Santana who placed them over the three shallow cuts on Quinn's stomach. Sighing, the Latina looked up with a frown of her own and admitted.

"That's because I'm not even sure myself…she said she just needed things to shut up, that her head was making too much noise and the lake was quiet, but…"

She trailed off and shook her head before moving towards the one wound her sister had seemed to be trying to keep from her sight. Rachel's surprisingly strong grip on her shoulder momentarily stopped her.

"But _what_ Santana…tell me."

Seeing the conflict in the Latina's dark eyes, she added softly.

"Please, I want to help her as much as you do."

Looking away for a moment, the little diva was surprised to see tears in Santana's eyes as she turned back to her and admitted hoarsely.

"I'm not sure she would have come up from that lake to take a breath if I hadn't shown up. Whatever happened tonight was bad, maybe not physically but mentally it…it's like it destroyed her."

Unable to look at the devastation in Rachel's eyes as she processed that information, Santana turned back to Quinn and gently moved aside the dressing gown to remove the bloody clump of tissue. What she saw made her actually swear out loud, before she could cover the wound again, Rachel moved forward and let out a horrified gasp.

"Oh my god, who _did_ that to her!"

The volume in Rachel's voice, coupled with the shifting of the tissue that had half dried against the bite mark caused Quinn to whimper in her sleep. Santana quickly put her hand over Rachel's mouth and shushed her; luckily Quinn was so drunk even the pain of the wound being touched didn't wake her. Breathing out a sigh of relief, Santana removed her hand and allowed some of the anger she was feeling to leak into her voice as she spoke.

"Rachel, we both know there's only one person who could make Quinn act like this, who can hurt her like this, and that's Laura."

Rachel looked frustrated and confused at the same time.

"But…we would never have let her in our house; we know what she looks like thanks to that picture in the paper, how could she even get to Quinn, where would she even know where to find her!"

Santana had realised _exactly_ how the bitch would have found out where Quinn lived, but she didn't have the heart to tell Rachel and instead looked away to soak a cotton ball in iodine to clean the bite mark. Sadly, Rachel wasn't stupid either and the answer hit her a second after Santana looked away.

"Oh no, the interview…it was done at our house, the pictures, oh how stupid, I didn't even think!"

Turning back abruptly, the Latina took a firm hold of Rachel's wrist, waiting for the diva's eyes to lock with her own.

"Hey, no…stop that right now, this is not your fault short round, you hear me? Why the hell _would_ you think that you'd have to hide from someone, This bitch is the insane one, she's the one at fault, she's obviously more bat shit than we thought…and she seems to think she owns Quinn."

Wincing, she realised the bite wound really needed stitches to be closed properly, she also knew there was no way Quinn would want that. And to take her without her consent would almost be as abusive an act as the one that caused the wound. Blowing out a breath, she rubbed antibacterial cream around the area and placed a large soft bandage over it gently. When she turned back around it was to see Rachel standing stiffly, shaking with rage as she considered what the Latina had just said.

"She doesn't own Quinn, _no one_ owns Quinn but Quinn herself!"

Holding up her hands placatingly, Santana spoke carefully as she stood up, deciding it might be best to have this conversation downstairs, away from the sleeping Quinn. Gently urging Rachel to follow her, Santana closed the door and started speaking as they made their way back down to the lounge.

"I know that, it isn't me you have to convince of that…I'm afraid it's going to be Quinn."

She sighed sadly and turned to face Rachel once more as they sank into a couple of comfortable chairs. Leroy and Hiram had obviously gone over to the guest house to talk with Lily and Sophia which left them alone for now. After a moment's shared silence, filled with anger and the all too familiar frustration, Rachel spoke.

"What…how do you mean it will be _Quinn_ that needs to be convinced? Surely she knows by now that she's worth so much more than that, that she's not…whatever that fucking woman has told her she is!"

Santana rubbed her hands down her face wondering how best to say what she needed to say, what Rachel would need to hear. It wasn't easy though, to know that no matter how much you loved someone you couldn't save them from themselves. And that Laura had been working on breaking down Quinn's psyche since she met her. Years and years longer than any of them had even known her, that _they_ were the ones that would have to fight for Quinn and not Laura; such was the nature of systematic abuse. Sometimes she wished she wasn't so damn inquisitive and that she hadn't read up on this stuff, but she had and right now she was all there was was to try and explain it to Rachel.

"Did you ever wonder why abused wives or children never just left, or went to the police about what was happening to them?"

Struck dumb for a moment by the seemingly random question, Rachel stuttered before closing her mouth, realising belatedly why Santana was asking the question.

"Of course I have, everyone does, you read stories about how these women have put up with abuse for years before finally snapping, and quite often resorting to violent measures to stop it."

Santana nodded and toyed with the hem of her shirt for a moment before carrying on.

"It's because they physically can't, it's not like abusers are violent from the start, it's all just a part of what they do."

Frowning, the diva opened her mouth to speak, but seemed to think better of it and instead motioned for the Latina to carry on.

"After Quinn told me…what she told me, I did a little reading, a little research into how these things work. Because at the time I just, I didn't get it. The Quinn I knew would never put up with someone doing that shit to her, even as a kid…let alone remain so scared of even the memory of someone that their name reduced her to a shaking mess."

Sighing, she tucked her hair behind her ear nervously and let the other one flutter about animatedly as she talked.

"The whole concept of mental abuse is…it's insidious, it's something that happens over years, not weeks or months. Quinn told me that for years Laura treated her almost like a whipping girl, the reason for that was to break down her confidence, what little her father had left her with that is. She didn't just start abusing her because Quinn would have fought her, this way she broke her down first. Made her think it was what she was there for, that it was _all_ she was worth. God knows her waste of space parents never gave her any reason to think otherwise. Even when she first came to live with us she was wary of gifts or even simple praise, because in the past they were things that had only been used to trick her, to reel her in. I didn't realise it at the time of course, only now do I understand it, hell I even understand myself better."

Pausing for breath, the Latina shook her head slightly; taking advantage of the silence, Rachel finally spoke up.

"But…I mean she isn't like that now, she knows how much we all care for her, how much we love her."

Santana smiled sadly.

"Wrong tense short round, she _knew_ that…now, I'm not so sure. Not because it isn't true, lord knows I love that frustrating blonde, but because I'm not sure that our love can overcome the years of abuse, abuse she thought was in her past but for some reason, somehow is now back."

Rachel frowned and hugged her arms close to herself.

"I…don't know what to do Santana, we need her to tell us what happened so we can help her, are you saying that she won't?"

Leaning forward in her chair, Santana reached out and squeezed both of Rachel's hands gently.

"I'm saying don't be surprised if she doesn't, don't be surprised if she gets angry. I don't know for sure that it's happened, but abusers usually threaten those nearest to the victim, who knows _what_ she said to Quinn. But what we _do_ both know is that Quinn has a history of keeping things to herself, especially the shit she went through, hell it was only meeting you that made her open up at all."

The little diva leant forward eagerly.

"Then maybe I can be the one to get through to her again!"

Santana looked wary as she replied.

"It's possible yes, but it's also possible that you are her biggest Achilles heel in this, Laura will know how much she loves you, you will be how she's getting to her now. She's more likely to push you away, thinking it's for your own good…but again I'm only speculating. Every case of abuse is different but I wanted to make you aware of the possibilities, right now her head is probably a car crash, she's got years of abuse and mental conditioning fighting against what she knows and feels know. It's a battle I wouldn't wish on anyone, and it's one I want to take out of her hands as much as I can."

Rachel drummed her fingers on the arms of her chair, trying to process all this information and still come up with a workable solution.

"Well, cant we do that then, take it out of her hands and just work around her?"

Nodding slowly, Santana quickly forestalled Rachel's triumphant expression with her next words.

"We could do that yes, but there are several risks involved with that approach, firstly we have no idea what actually happened or what was said. Secondly, by taking control of the situation out of her hands, we're taking away the control that _she_ needs to take back. And last but not least, if we do it for her she'll never get to face it down herself, we can help her and God knows we will, but she has to be the one to ask for it, and to put a stop to it. If she isn't part of it then she's just going to feel like a chess piece…argh I'm not explaining this very well."

Growling in frustration at her inability to word properly what she wanted to say, Santana ran her hands through her hair, thinking of yet another way to try when Rachel spoke up.

"I think I understand, it's like…being bullied in the playground I suppose, other people can watch your back but the bully will always think they can get to you, they will always know how to, until you punch them back yourself."

Dropping her hands from her hair with a familiar grin that Rachel only just realised how much she missed, Santana nodded.

"That's…actually pretty accurate short round. God, head related stuff is a freaking nightmare, I prefer problems I can just punch!"

Smiling faintly, Rachel leaned across the gap and shoved playfully at the Latina's shoulder.

"Well as much as I would love for you to lay that bitch out, I don't think you getting arrested would help anything. It would be highly satisfying yes, but then Quinn would be down one ally."

Rolling her eyes, Santana returned the shove.

"Yeah, well, no worries there; Brit was sort of pissed at me after I punched Sylvester so…I promised no more settling disputes with my fists."

Rachel couldn't help the grin that crawled over her face at that news.

"Wow, she _totally_ has you wrapped round her little finger huh? Good to know."

Mock growling at the little diva, Santana muttered.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up short round."

Enjoying the brief moment of levity for what it was, the two brunettes quickly sobered as they remembered the sleeping blonde upstairs. Rachel cleared her throat then held her hand out to Santana, pinkie extended.

"Swear to me we won't give up on her, no matter what she says or does, we get to the facts of what happened and we help her kick that bitch out of her life..._for good_!"

Smiling softly at the very adult content of the conversation mixed with the childlike gesture, Santana extended her own pinkie and held tightly to the diva's.

"I swear that we will never give up on her, not so long as we both breathe…and I know you're speaking for your family just as I'm speaking for mine."

Leaning forward, Rachel let out a small sob even as her forehead came to rest on Santana's.

"I'm so glad you're here Tana."

Swallowing down the emotion of hearing Rachel unknowingly use a nickname that her little sister used once upon a time ago, Santana pulled the other woman into a hug.

"Yeah, well I'm glad you're here too short round."

They knew it wasn't going to be easy, it was probably going to be as far from easy as they could get in fact, but they weren't going to lose Quinn now, not after all she'd already been through, after all she had gained. With that sentiment burning brightly within them, the two just sat and accepted each-other's support, both trying to prepare themselves for what they would have to tell their families…and the fight ahead of them.

_Okay, don't hate me but the whole thing with Laura is a loose end that needs tying up! And for those interested yes I did a lot of research about abusive relationships, years ago in fact and this is sadly how they affect people. Just because the abuse stops does not mean the psychological damage has. I'm hoping to give Quinn the closure that many abuse victims do not get, and have no fear, Laura will only be in one more chapter…and things will not be going the way she wants in it. If any of what I have written has affected you I apologise whole heartedly, hopefully none of you have personal experience of abuse, and if any of you do…you are not alone, it's never too late to ask for help. If you have questions please feel free to PM me, you have my love and cookies as always XXX_


End file.
